


Study Buddies

by BoaDoll



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff and Smut, Haikyuu - Freeform, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Burn, both these characters are stupid, dont expect to read this and not feel frustrated lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:02:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22491250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoaDoll/pseuds/BoaDoll
Summary: Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shoyo cross paths during their first semester, unknowingly changing their college experiences forever. High tensions, confusion, and self-discovery are born and are come to terms with, growing both as they learn what becoming an adult and what a healthy relationship is as they grow up.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 21
Kudos: 76





	1. Finals Week

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, This is actually the first fic I've written in about 5 years. I hope it doesn't fail to please, I and I will try to update very soon! I'd love any comments!

Kageyama sat down and let out an exasperated sigh. It was his first finals week. He felt vaguely proud that he had come this far. But he didn't have time to reminisce; he had to get started at his Work-study job. He was working at the library. Mostly this consisted of checking in and out books, and stocking shelves. The more intense stuff was left to the librarian. He didn't mind this job, though. It was peaceful.

At least sometimes, he thought grumpily. He usually was the one to confront the noisier bunches. He didn't like going out of his way to tell people to shut up, but it was part of his job. Plus, when he ran out of things to do, he could work on his work too. He was thankful for that. Lately, a particular student had been causing trouble in the library. Kageyama was surprised he hadn't been asked to not come back by now. 

This kid had not only poured soda all over the newest computer, but he had also managed to break a table while running through the library! And he was just loud and noisy. That wasn't going to fly finals week. Kageyama sighed and tried to focus on the stack of books in front of him when he heard a giant tumble. His eyes widening, he stood up quickly and rushed over the rows of books.

When he looked down, he saw the culprit lying underneath at least half a bookshelf worth of books. Slowly stumbling to his feet, he let the books around him scatter farther. Kageyama felt the anger bubbling inside of him. What exactly was this idiot doing? Taking a deep breath, he tried to gather his thoughts.

Before he could even yell at the dumbass or even start cleaning up, the small redhead bowed and started to apologize loudly. "I'm so sorry! I was trying to reach- and then- well…" Kageyama looked at him with more than a tinge of anger. He was tiny… was he even in college? 

"Look. Get your stuff and get out. I don't need you causing any more trouble. I know you've been acting like a wild animal in here, but we'd appreciate it if you didn't show up until finals are over." He felt his words come out, harsh and slicing. But who could blame him? Now he has to pick up and sort all these books. So much for getting studying done. 

He saw the smaller boys' eyes fill with anger. "Hey! I'm trying to study too, ok?" He shouted. Did he know how to control his volume? "Just because I made a mistake doesn't mean that you have the right to kick me out!" This made Kageyama almost laugh.

"Are you serious?" he spat, "Look at what you've done? And look how much of a distraction you've been to others. You've damaged property and now the books. Get out before I have to drag you out. You're not welcome back, and I will be letting the librarian know." He was ready to grab this idiot and start dragging out when he saw the smaller glare at him.

"You're rude." He spat before he turned around and picked you his bag from a nearby table. Kageyama watched him exit before he sighed and started to pick up the pile of books. He hoped that at least he could get in some good studying after he got back to his dorm.

As his shift ended, Kageyama packed up his stuff and headed out for the day. Now he can focus on his upcoming tests. He did not need to fail. This was the one thing he knew that he couldn't fail at. If he did, what would he do with his life? Become a corner store worker? No way. As he exited the library, he felt a shiver down his spine. He guessed that it was already getting cold outside.

Stopping by a nearby vending machine, he silently contemplated for a bit before choosing his usual. He couldn't just try something new — not today. Turning on his heel, he headed for his dorm room. That was the one drawback of his dorm situation, was that it was so far away. But it gave him time to relax. But tonight, he felt on edge. 

His mind wandered back to that idiot this afternoon. What a ridiculous guy. What adult acts that way? He supposed that he didn't look like much like an adult, though. With that height and those pouty cheeks, he looked like a middle schooler throwing a tantrum. He laughed a little before he stopped and scrunched his face up. He did feel bad. That kid must have something wrong with him. I mean, he probably could have just gotten him to leave. Banning him for the week was harsh.

Turning the corner to head to his dorm, Kageyama went to slide his card into the door. The light went red. What the heck? He swiped it again. Red light again. He threw his hands into the air and let out a groan. I guess he'd have to walk to the other side and try it there. 

Before he could realize it, a small redhead swiped his card, and the light went green. Kageyamas' eyes went wide, and he reached out just as the other had ducked in the door and closed it swiftly behind him. He saw his eyes peer through the glass, smug and mocking. 

"What the hell you brat! Let me in!" He yelled through the glass as he rattled the door. He saw a silent laugh from the redhead on the other side as he stood there. Oh, so he wanted to mock him? Fine. He'd go around. Kageyama pounded on the glass one more time before turning around to walk away. He didn't need to play games like a kid.

Them, he heard a tentative little knock. He turned around to see the redhead pressing a piece of paper against the glass. Squinting his eyes, he took a few steps back toward the door. "Ill… Let you in?" he read the words aloud. "Fine!" He raised his voice. "Let me in them!"

The other laughed and started to write something else. Rolling his eyes, he was about to turn around until he saw the notebook hit the glass again. He wanted what?! "Sorry. I can't let you back in the library. I don't choose that stuff…" He looked to the ground and shrugged.

He heard the slight click of the door as it opened. Looking up, Kageyama planned to rush in quickly. That was before he ran into the other, who was spreading his arms and legs across the opening. "Wait!" He exclaimed. "You owe me! I can't fail. I got into this college on a good scholarship, and if I fail, I'm royally screwed. This is your fault. I was trying to study. It's not like I did it on purpose!"

That made Kageyama scoff. Was this kid serious? He didn't owe him anything. It was this kid's fault that he was so annoying. "Well, I don't know what to say. Study in your dorm like others? Now let me through dumbass." He tried to shove through the other, but he held steady.

"No. I can't… my roommate never lets me! He's insane. All he wants to do is party. I can't focus. Just please help me. I can not fail. I won't!" As he finished yelling the last word, he lifted his head to meet eyes with Kageyamas. He couldn't describe the wave that pulsated through his body. This kid was serious about not wanting to fail.

He felt even guiltier now. Extra awful… He understood not wanting to fail. It was only the first term. And scholarships are so competitive in Japan. He couldn't even get more than how much his housing cost. It seemed like he needed help. Before Kageyama could also process it, his mouth was moving.

"Fine. Look, I don't have a roommate. You can come over and study as long as you're quiet. If you make a peep ill kick your ass. I'm only doing this because you're acting pathetic. Let's go." Kageyama glared down and started walking. This time, the smaller boys arms faltered and let him barge through, into the warm lobby of the dormitory. 

He heard footsteps rapidly gaining, almost… skipping? He turned around to watch the other skip towards him, a bright smile plastered on his face. It caught him off guard… This guy acted like a middle schooler! He felt his face grow red. He must have been embarrassed by the other.

"Thank you so much! I appreciate it a lot, and I understand that you probably don't like others since you're so grumpy, and well, you have single dorm? Wow, you must like to be, alone huh? As much as mine bothers me we're soooo close! Hahaha, like brothers! Do you invite a lot of friends over since you have so much space? I bet so. That would be so cool! Oh, but I bet it costs extra, huh? Dang, that sucks." Kageyama sighed loudly as he listened to the other rapid-fire spit questions. He made a big mistake.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Hinata Shouyo! Now you don't have to call me idiot, because honestly, that's kind of rude. I bet you'd don't have a girlfriend, huh? Its cause you're so grumpy!" Kageyama rolled his eyes as he made a mental note. So now he had to deal with this Hinata guy until he was done studying? Great. The other continued talking. "Hey, what's your name? I told you mine. Only fair that I get yours! What would I call you?"

Kageyama peered out of the corner of his eye at the other. "Kageyama Tobio." He replied, his tone curt. They had finally made it to his room. Sighing, he looked down at the other as he continued to talk. This kid was going to drain his energy quickly. He slid his keycard in the door, hoping that it would work better than it did outside earlier. As the light flashed green, he pushed the door opened and ushered the other in quickly, not looking to irritate the others on his floor. This was going to be a long night, and it was only 7 pm.


	2. Coffee Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys make the trek to a coffee shop to fuel up for the studying ahead of them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments <3 They're all greatly appreciated! I anticipate this fic to be a slow burn, so be prepared for many more chapters!

As Kageyama swung open the door, Hinata rushed in, barreling straight towards the bed. Jumping up to get one the taller one, he landed neatly on top. He noticed that Kageyama had pushed two frames and mattresses together. Mouth going slack in a full “O,” he looked over.

Kageyama was irritated. Who sits on someone's bed like that? He’s known the kid for less than a day, and he's acting like best buds. He glared as the other stared at him. “Kageyama! Do you have two beds?! That’s so amazing! Did you pay even more for an extra? Oh my gosh, you must be so comfy!”

Kageyama watched as Hinata bounced excitedly. “No, that’s not it.” Turning to put down his stuff, he continued. “My roommate and I got into a disagreement… So he left.” He heard Hinata give a sound of understanding behind him. He turned around to see that Hinata was still wearing his shoes. He pointed at his shoes, and then the area by the door where they were kept. 

“Sorry!” Hinata exclaimed as he jumped from the bed and raced over to take off his shoes. Kageyama watched him quickly scan the room before smiling and heading back over to the bed before Kageyama could tell him he did have a couch. “So,” Hinata hummed as he lay back, “You’re walls are soooo boring! And it’s eerily creepy how clean it is. Are you 40?” Laughing, Hinata kept looking around at the room around him.

Rolling his eyes, Kageyama stood up and got out his books. “No, obviously not. I didn’t bring anything with me. And it's fine anyway. I don’t need posters.” He sat down with a huff. This kid didn’t have a filter. “Anyways, let's get started on studying, remember? Unless you don’t need to be here. Then you can leave.”

He flipped open his planner to see what he needed to get done. It looked like he needed to do some reading for his IT course and his algebra. He knows he should probably start with Algebra first; it was his worst subject. He heard rustling and a huff from his bed behind him. Looking behind, he watched as Hinata pulled out his laptop. “What math class are you taking? Kageyama asked.  
Hinata laughed and ruffled his already wild hair, looking ridiculous. “Well,” He admitted sheepishly, “I’m taking the lowest level. I’m not very good at math.” Kageyama felt confused as to why it made me he feel good as well, but he felt a wave of relief wash over him when he heard that.

“Oh, I get that… Me too.” He flippantly replied before trying to move onto something else. He never realized how hard it was to focus when there was someone else there. Even if he wasn’t keen on talking, they continued to study, with the occasional stop to chat. Most of the time, initiated by Hinata, asking some ridiculous questions.  
After an hour or two, Kageyama heard a massive groan come from behind him. Turning in his chair, he watched Hinata roll back and forth on the bed before he smiled and sat up quickly. Kageyama swore he could see the lightbulb above his head.

“Hey!” Hinata exclaimed, “It's already late. We should take a break and get some coffee. What do you think? Pleaseeeee?!” Hinata jumped off the bed and had essentially climbed into Kageyamas' lap while he begged. Pushing his face away, Kageyama figured it wouldn’t kill him to grab something quick. It was already 10, and he needed to stay up to make sure he understood everything.  
Shrugging, Kageyama put on his coat and stood by the door while Hinata struggled to shove his feet into his shoes without having to unlace them. “You know, it’d be easier by now to untie them. You look dumb.”

Hinata shot up a glare at him before continuing to try and wiggle his heel into the shoe. “It's not about time, its about pride. I can't quit now.” Finally, he managed to get his foot in his shoe before they headed out. “So, I don’t know where you like to go, but there's this nice place I like to go to at night! It’s only like 7 minutes away.”

Kageyama didn’t care where they went, as long as he could get some caffeine. “Whatever you want, I'm not too picky…” They continued to walk in silence, and as in silence, he meant Kageyama listening to Hinata continue to babble. “Do you talk because you're nervous? Or do you have that much to say?”

Hinata looked at him with a confused face. Shit, Kageyama had been rude, huh? “Uh…” Hinata struggled to talk at that moment. “Well, no? I don’t know. I like to say whatever comes to my mind? I’m sorry.”  
They continued along in actual silence this time; the only sound was the echoing of sneakers squeaking against the concrete. “Sorry.” Kageyama quickly muttered as they continued to walk. He supposed he could have said it nicer. 

Kageyama saw the shining neon lights of the coffee shop in the distance and sighed. Maybe it wouldn’t be so awkward once they were inside? Why does he always do this? Maybe Hinata was right earlier when he said he was grumpy. It’s not like he tries too.

As they entered the coffee shop, Kageyama was struck in the face with the smell of espresso and sugar. Pop music played in the background, and he looked around to see many students lounging in the couches and chairs, chatting, and playing some board games left on the wall. Wow, this place reeked of hipsters! Kageyama let out a little laugh for thinking that.  
“What's so funny?” Hinata smiled at him before walking over to a love seat, a plopping down on it. Patting next to him, Kageyama quickly shuffled over and took a seat. He looked at the menu on the wall in front of him; all the choices made him dizzy. How can you even decide?

“Well, I know what I want! I'm so pumped!” Hinata bounced gently. “What are you getting, Kageyama?” Looking over at him excitedly. Kageyama genuinely had no idea. He felt so confused! Why does coffee have to be so complicated?

“Uh… I guess just a black coffee? I don’t know what anything here means.” He looked down at the coffee table in front of him as Hinata laughed.

“Oh! You’re funny. Ok, well, I'm going to get my drink… Wanna come?” He stood up slowly, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he waited for Kageyama to stand. They quickly walked up to the counter and ordered. 

“Hi! How’s it going? Can I get a large energy drink blended with strawberry and peach? Yeah, that’ll be all! Thanks!” The pressure felt so much for Kageyama. He got to the front counter and blanked when the worker asked what he wanted. Looking around, he quickly became flustered and just blurted out the first thing he could get out of his mouth.

“What he got! Yeah. Ok. Thanks.” He skulked away from the counter in defeat, looking at the large pink drink in defeat. He didn’t even want a cold drink. It was so cold out. Sitting down next to Hinata, he took a sip of the neon drink. Was this toxic?

Sputtering loudly, he quickly concluded that yes, this was toxic. “What the heck is this? This is awful, Hinata!” He stuck his tongue out and frowned.

Hinata doubled over in laughter. “Well, why did you order what I did? What happened to your “black coffee,” huh?” He imitated Hinata.

Glaring, Kageyama spat back, “Look! I got nervous! A coffee shops menu shouldn’t look like a novel, ok?” He took another sip, getting used to the sugary sweet concoction. He wasn’t a fan of sweets, but after shilling out that money for one of these, he was going to drink it. “how much caffeine is in one of these, anyway?”

“Idk like a lot! I drink them all the time; they’re like the only thing that keeps me going on all-nighters!” Hinata shouted. Kageyama felt his soul sink. Hinata was already intense; what did this mean? Well, at least he’d be too hyped up on this to feel irritable and tired in the morning?

Continuing to sip on his drink as he looked around, he realized that he might be missing out on some stuff by just sitting in his dorm all the time. Not that this was his place. Not at all. Too noisy. He was probably going to have a migraine by the time he left.

“Hey!” A voice yelled in their direction. Kageyama turned his head to see who it was and realized he didn’t know the guy. He was decent height, but seriously off-putting. What was up with the shaved head? He watched them approach only for Hinata to stand up and give him a high five.

“Hey, Tanaka! What's up? You're not getting crazy for once?” Hinata laughed as Tanaka sat on a bean bag nearby. Kageyama continued to watch silently. He was surprised this pipsqueak could be friends with someone who looked so stereotypically thuggish. 

“Nah! Not tonight. I guess even party animals need to double down sometimes, right?” Tanaka let out a boisterous laugh. “Hey, Hinata… Whos this punk who keeps eyeing me? What you wanna fight?” Kageyama stared at him blankly while Hinata laughed again and waved his arms dramatically.

“No! This is Kageyama! He kicked me out of the library, so now he owes me! He's letting me study at his room since you never let me!” Oh, Kageyama thought. This was his roommate? Sheesh. I guess he kind understood. Holding out his hand, he introduced himself.

“Hey, Kageyama Tobio.” He nodded to Tanaka as he laughed. 

“Ok, Mr. Serious! I'm Tanaka Ryūnosuke.”Still joking around, he leaned back and sighed loudly. “I came here just to get some caffeine before I head over to this sick party. I heard that the girls there are smoking! You should go too, Hinata! It’s almost the end of the first semester, and you haven’t gotten laid!” Laughing loudly, Tanaka received an icy glare from Hinata.

“Hey!” Hinata shouted back, “Don’t talk about that! It's not like you have either! Don’t pretend you're some casanova.” Kageyama watched Hinata fret, looking embarrassed. It almost brought a smile to his face; there was something about it that made him feel bubbly. 

Rolling his eyes, Tanaka kept going. “Whatever at least I try. What about you? You down for some fun tonight?” Kageyama ripped his eyes away from Hinata to stare blanky in Kageyamas' direction. He let out a small laugh, covering his mouth.

“No. I have more important things to do, sorry.” Shrugging his shoulders, he looked at the time. Shit! It was almost midnight somehow. He couldn’t believe how distracted he had become. Standing up quickly, he apologized. “Sorry! I have to get back to my room! It's late, and I have to study. See you guys around…”

He quickly exited the café, the brisk air hitting his nose, and the cold drink in his hand becoming even more uncomfortable to hold. He heard the door open and glanced behind him to see Hinata quickly following. 

“What the heck! You can't just ditch me dude! All my stuff is at your place.” Catching up to Kageyama, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and pulled his hood over his head. They walked fast, mostly because Kageyama wanted to get back quickly, but it was also freezing. 

When they got back in, Kageyama quickly removed his shoes and sat back down on his couch, Hinata not close behind. “Oh my gosh, it was so cold out there! I can't believe that I have to walk to my dorm tonight. Oh well, guess ill have to make a few pits stops on the way to stay warm!” he joked lightly, a wide grin directed at Kageyama. Nodding, Kageyama, retrieved his book and continued to study. “Wow, you’re still going to study, huh? I'm done for the night! I am pooped!”

Kageyama watched as Hinata slumped down, and pulled his phone out. He listened to the sounds of Hinatas social media while trying to focus on his equations. He must admit that he was exhausted, but this was important. The next thing he knew, He looked over to see Hinata laying upright, his phone resting on his chest, as he lightly breathed.

Pausing, Kageyama tore himself away from his book. Hinata had a small line of drool running down his chin; his head tilted to the side. He breathed slow and cumbersome, his fingers twitching every few minutes. He was small compared to Kageyama. 

Snapping out of it, Kageyama held his head in his hand. He really must be tired! He spaced out for so long, just looking at Hinata. How weird. Looking around, he tossed a small blanket over Hinata. Standing up quickly, he went to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water before sitting back down. He decided to switch it up and started doing flashcards for his IT final when he felt a yawn coming on.

Letting out a large yawn, he continued to flip through the cards, diligently checking the answers and making a mental note for the ones he kept missing. Letting his shoulders droop, he rested his hands on his lap, and rolled his head around, trying to stretch his neck.

He felt his eyes, so so heavy. Squeezing his lids together forcefully, he blinked a few times before trying to back to his cards. But so slowly, ever so slowly, he convinced himself that he could just close his eyes for a few seconds. They burnt badly from the exhaustion of a long day.

Letting them droop close, he sat there, listening to the room. It was quiet, the sound of the heater humming in the background, and Hinata was breathing. He should wake him up and make him go back to his room. But it was so quiet. Not even any of his neighbors were making noise. And he slept with earplugs because of it. And then Kageyama was asleep.


	3. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama feels strangely nostalgic about the night before, even though it happened so soon. Something feels up with Hinata, and Kageyama kicks himself for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for continuing to read! I know I've been updating frequently, but don't expect a chapter a day like you have, I've just been bit by a writing bug!

Kageyama went to roll ever and grab his phone from his nightstand. He didn’t want to open his eyes, his body feeling warm and heavy from sleep. When he realized he was not only in his bed but sitting up, he opened his eyes cautiously, groaning. Taking a large breath in, he saw that he was sitting on his couch. He must have fallen asleep last night. Oh shit, was his phone still alive? Shit, what if he missed class?

Looking frantically around, he realized the source of the warm heaviness enveloping him wasn’t sleep, but it was the snoozing redhead perched on the couch next to him, his finger loosely hooked into his jean pocket.

He stopped for a second, tilting his head slightly. He remembered trying on the couch, and that he was going to wake Hinata up soon. He must have fallen asleep. Hinata was still snoring quietly. Not really a snore, because those are annoying. Patting himself, he found his phone in his pocket and checked the time. It was only 6:45. Explained why it was so dark outside.

Looking down, he slowly unhooked Hinatas' finger from his pocket, staring at his face, not wanting to wake him up. After a cautious few seconds, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Standing u without trying to disrupt the other, he trotted over to the door and went to the shared bathroom to quickly go brush his teeth at least. Clicking the door behind him, he let out a hum before heading to the end of the hall.

When he got back to the dorm a few minutes later, he walked into to see Hinata frantically shoving his stuff into his backpack. Standing in the doorway, he stared for a second. He seemed frazzled. Making sure to shut the door loudly enough for Hinata to hear, he watched the boy turn around to look at him.

His hair was even more messy than usual, his eyes glossy with sleep and his under eyes slightly puffy. He looked somewhat confused and dumbfounded, flashing a shaky and awkward grin. He threw on his coat and walked up to Kageyama. 

Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Kageyama glared up at the ceiling for a second before looking directly down to Hinata. His voice dry and scratchy from sleep, Hinata bowed slightly. “I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep, I feel bad. I'll just leave. See you around!” Kageyama didn’t have the chance to reply, the smaller quickly walking around him and slipping on his shoes halfway before quickly exiting. Kageyama caught the door before it closed and watched Hinata waddle away, his heels crushing down the back of his boots, as he walked to the elevator in a rush.

Closing it gently, Kageyama walked back in and sat down on the couch, feeling heavy and exasperated. But he knew that he had a class at 8, so there was no point in going back to bed now. He’d feel worse. He bit the inside of his cheek, thinking about how tired he was going to feel today. His head felt unsteady on his shoulders, flopping forwards, demanding more sleep. He stumbled to his feet, and decided he needed a shower ASAP. Grabbing his stuff, he headed down to the shower to wash away the sleep, and sweat from sleeping on the couch all night with Hinata. 

Turning on the water, he stepped in, rubbed his face in exasperation. At least it was Friday, and he only had a lecture today. He didn’t even think that he worked at the library either. Next week was finals, and he felt stressed. At least he had today to relax and study, and maybe catch a nice nap.

Yeah, he will definitely need to study. He doesn’t even think that he retained much from last night. His mind couldn’t remember any algebra. But it could remember the coffee shop and the quiet walk there. And then the peaceful sounds of his room as he drifted to sleep, with Hinata next to him.

God, he was seriously slacking last night! He needed to focus. What was his issue? Realizing that the water was starting to get cold, he very quickly finished up and stepped out. Shaking his head, he tried to dry out his hair before making the trek back to his room, shivering the entire time.

Getting dressed quickly, he threw his towel on the floor, before staring at it for a second and impulsively picking it up and tossing it in the hamper. He packed up quickly and headed out, an hour left before his class. He walked quickly, more than last night. He didn’t have to worry about others keeping up with him. He liked to walk fast but heard it was rude to do so. So he controlled himself.   
The neon lights of the coffee shop beckoned at him as he quickly walked past before he slowed and stopped to stare. He had the urge to go and get a drink. He hadn’t even liked his drink. And the menu was awful and It was so loud and tacky. He smiled and pressed on, heading to the lecture hall. Before he entered, he stopped at a vending machine and got a bottle of coffee before heading in, sitting up top and pulling out a book.

He had recently started reading it. It was just a biography about a famous endo period sculptor. He wasn’t sure what had drawn him to it, but he just seemed to be brought to it. He hadn’t read much of it yet, he was honestly quite busy. He usually didn’t have free time, leaving so he got to his destinations right as he needed to be there. 

Class started, the professor droning on about the ethics of benchmarking, and Kageyama so badly wanted to sleep. He tried to focus on staying awake and grasping for anything he started to look around. There was a familiar face a few seats away. He wasn’t sure who it exactly was. He squinted intently, feeling suddenly very intrusive as their eyes quickly met and averted. Burying his mouth into his hand, he looked down at his notebook. 

And it suddenly clicked. He was the barista at the coffee shop last night. Now he felt extra weird. I'm sure this guy deals with people all day, and here he was, trying to stare him down like he had a bone to pick. He felt curious. The guy definitely stood out; he stood very tall, with thick-framed glasses and short blonde hair. He didn’t look too happy to be here either. Maybe it was because Kageyama was staring at him though. 

As he started to drifts to sleep again when he heard the scraping of chairs and the sounds of footsteps. Snapping out of it, he quickly packed up, yawning as he started to walk out of the lecture room.  
“It’s creepy to stare. Just saying. Id avoids it unless you want to be known as the terrifying guy who means mugs everyone. It's not a good look.” The tall blonde spat as he walked by. Kageyama stopped dead in his tracks before scowling. 

“What the heck! Says you! No need to talk down to me like that.” He yelled as the other passed. He couldn’t believe that someone would have the nerve to just say something to unbelievably rude when they’ve never met.

A slight tap on his shoulder startled him, quickly whipping around to see who had done that. “Sorry…” the boy behind him said. “He didn’t mean for it to be like that. I think. He’s not really that bad! Please don’t hold it against him.” The boy in front of him apologized, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Oh. Uhm, I suppose its fine, I just didn’t expect it.” Kageyama mumbled quietly. 

“Yeah. I'm sorry about that again! Nice to meet you, I'm Yamaguchi. But I have to go, bye!” He waved quickly and left, Kageyama holding up a hand.

Blinking a few times and sighing, he quickly went on his way, stopping at one of the restaurants on campus. He grabbed a bagel to take back to his and nibbled slowly as he walked, arriving back to wolf down the rest. 

He walked over to the bed to see the covers wrinkled and disturbed from where Hinata had sat yesterday. Sighing, he threw them to the side and plugged in his phone, setting the alarm for an hour and laid down, to feel his foot something. He looked down to see a calculator. Feeling confused for a second, he didn’t remember taking out his calculator anytime today, when it suddenly hit him. It was Hinatas. 

Groaning, he rolled back over to nap. He just wanted to ignore that for a bit and sleep, at least until he thought he had to mental capacity to figure out how to get that back. He really regretted kicking him out of the library now, because now he has to deal with him even more than he had to previously. What a pain in his ass. Rolling over, he covered his head with a pillow to block out the light and hit the hay.

He woke up an hour or two later, after hitting the snooze a million times. Rolling out of bed, he started studying, taking small breaks to watch tv and look at his phone. Eventually, he got bored and stir crazy so he decided to go grab some lunch from the meal hall.

Heading down there, he looked around, and all he could see that was left were sad cafeteria hamburgers or a rice bowl. Sighing, he grabbed the bowl and headed back to his room. It could be worse. This, at least, had some pork and vegetables to eat with it.

On his way back, he pondered if it would be bad to join a club. He already felt busy enough as it was, and frankly, it made him feel like he would seem desperate. And it was too late now to join a frat. A shiver shot down his spine. He could NEVER do a frat. Not in a million years. 

He arrived back at his dorm to see Hinata nervously milling around. Walking up behind him, Kageyama cleared his throat. “Hey, you left your calculator…”

Spinning around, Hinata laughed and kicked the ground. “Yup! I know. Can I come get it?” Nodding, Kageyama, opened his door and took off his shoes before grabbing Hinatas' calculator of the bed quickly for him. 

“Don’t feel bad about passing out by the way. It was fine…” Kageyama shrugged, and his eyes instinctively shifted to the left. He felt like the air was heavy and tense around him. He didn’t enjoy it at all.  
He heard Hinata laugh again, loud and infectious, even when it was nervous. “Yeah. I still feel bad, though. Next time ill have to not stay for so long! Or get more sleep the night before. We’ll have to see if Tanaka will let me study at all tonight.” He stuffed he calculator into his backpack and waved at Kageyama before heading out. Kageyama stretched as the door closed, lifting his arms above his head, and felt his shoulders slip back down and wave slightly back as the others exited.

He felt his slight smile drop. He still felt heavy. He scrunched his nose and turned around, sitting on his bed, to get back to doing his work. God knows that he needed to study. Especially If Hinata was going to be here again. 

Then he paused. Why had he gotten so used to him invading his personal space already? I mean. Was he even going to? After how weird he seemed, Hinata probably hated him. He should have just pushed through and woken him up instead of accidentally falling asleep. This is why Kageyama has never been good at making friends. He beat himself up, lying back in bed and decided to give up for now, and just watch some tv to distract himself.


	4. Wild Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata is still feeling anxious about what happened with Kageyama. He decides to tag along to a party with a friend, trying to get through the night with as little trouble as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to write a chapter from Hinata's perspective! And as for the gap, I apologize, midterms are kicking my butt! Hope you enjoy! I'd love any feedback <3

Hinata shuffled away from Kageyamas dorm quickly; his calculator gripped in his hands. As he turned the corner, he felt his eyes flutter to the side and saw Kageyama staring at him. He let out a heavy breath as he entered the stairway. Feeling shakey as he descended, he emerged bursting out on the sidewalk. He felt the sting of the cold wind on his nose, as he pressed on, barely slowing the entire time.

He could not think as he walked, his arms wrapping his jacket around him tight as he walked briskly across campus, reaching his dorm. Fumbling with his key cards quickly, he slid in and out to be met with a red light. He groaned and jiggled the handle. It took a few tries to get in. These damn cards never work.

Entering his dorm room, he flung his backpack on the ground, before making a running leap for his bed, landing with a soft thud. Laying still for a moment, he rolled over and lay in silence. He felt shaken over the entire situation and even embarrassed. Staring across at the other side of the room, he looked over at Tanaka, sleeping like a log. It was 4 pm, how is he sleeping right now? Hinata knew that he had been sleeping all day, going to bed at 6 am.

Scratching his head, he popped in some earbuds and turned on some music to fill his head. He hadn’t been to any parties lately, maybe it would be fun to pop into one of them? He had been invited to one earlier that week. That wouldn’t be for another few hours. Twisting his nose in thought, he decided that he’d head for the gym. He bet no one would be there now, and he could get in a good workout. He hadn’t been able to do that lately, with the stress of finals. Grabbing his gym bag and changing quickly, he headed down to the gym to find it empty.

Starting his normal routine, he thought about what happened with Kageyama again. Feeling his face get red, he quickly pushed the thought out of his mind, focusing on the party he planned on going to tonight. Thinking about that, and also his last final that was tomorrow, he managed to get through his sets just fine. 

Zipping up his hoodie, he decided to take a run. A few miles always brought him peace. He felt the rush of adrenaline as he ran up a nearby hill, the cold air running through his lungs, his breath ragged and rushed. He felt the pound of the sidewalk through his feet, getting in the rhythm of the run, losing himself in a trance. Before he knew it, he found himself in a neighborhood he didn’t know, looking around at the houses around him. Slowing down to a jog, he realized he should turn back, making a u-turn, and trying to guide himself back. Luckily, he made it again; he hadn’t taken too many turns after he had spaced out. Getting back, he tore off his gym clothes and took a quick shower before shaking his messy hair out. Walking back into his room, he saw Tanaka sitting on his bed, sleepily eating a cup of noodles. “Hey,” Hinata waved, "Sleep well?” He laughed lightly as he jumped into his own bed. 

Shrugging, Tanaka chewed for a second. “I guess. I didn’t get as much sleep as I wanted, I had two finals today. I’m exhausted.”

Hinata nodded, pulling a bag of chips out and began to much lazily. “That seems like it's your fault!” Throwing another chip into his mouth, he continued. “Hey, you going to that party tonight? I got invited and wasn’t sure I wanted to go.”

“Hell yeah!” Tanaka said, practically beaming, “I wouldn't miss that for anything! I promised I'd be there already. And you’re definitely coming. There is no way you're getting out of this.”

Hinata sighed in defeat. He supposed he could go. But he wasn’t going to drink, and he wasn’t even going to stay that late. He never loved parties and ended up feeling anxious the entire time. To pass the time until the party, he decided to sit on his phone for a while. He ended up procrastinating all night. He felt guilty, but at this point, what was he supposed to do? He felt like if he studied anymore, his brain was going to change to mush.

Walking up to the large frat house, he heard the soft thump of music as the front door opened and closed consistently, like a revolving door. Tanaka walked ahead, a pep in his step. As the approached, he felt the anxiety start to ebb in his chest. 

The lights dimmed, and the flicker of the colorful LEDs pulled him in, the thumping of the bass emitting from the basement, he could feel the tingle in his feet. He looked around at all the people milling around, talking, laughing, yelling. 

It was sure a lot. He didn’t even know where Tanaka was. This was all a lot, he knew he shouldn’t have come here. He shouldn't have even brought it up. This was definitely his fault. Putting on a timid smile, he looked around the room at everyone there. 

The room was packed tight, and the air was hot. But what could you expect from all this body heat? Backing up slowly, he felt his legs hit a piece of furniture. Looking behind him, he found the solace of a dirty frat couch. Should he sit on it? It was probably super dirty… Albeit better than standing all night. He took a seat at the end, others piled on, chatting and laughing, their drinks sloshing around in their cups as the haphazardly threw their arms around.

Fishing for his phone in his pocket, he pulled it out so he could flip through it for a bit. Opening Instagram, he scrolled through his feed to see all of the crazy photos that his friends had posted on their accounts. Liking and commenting, he continued to scroll until he saw a picture that made him stop in his tracks. It was a photo of Tanaka, a goofy smile on his face, posing with a mutual friend. It wasn’t them who made him pause though- no, it was who was glaring at the camera in the background. 

It was Kageyama. He could recognize that irritable scowl from a mile away. Giving a tentative tap, he saw the tags pop up. Of course, he wouldn’t be there. Rolling his eyes, he started to scroll. He didn’t even care about Kageyama’s Instagram page. That was until he passed by the comments long enough to spot a comment. His finger stalled the scroll quickly before swiping back up. 

“Stop taking photos with me in the background” The comment read. Looking at the username, it read yama1996. Clicking on the username, the profile quickly opened. It was private. Letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, he turned off his phone and jammed it into his pocket. 

With all the noise around him, Hinata wasn’t expecting Tanaka to practically jump on him from behind. Letting out a yell, his eardrums almost burst from all of Tanakas yelling. 

“Hey! You look so sad on the couch! Stop! Get up, come on, follow me ok?” Before Hinata even had time to react to Tanaka, he was being dragged up and away from his safe haven of the couch. It wasn’t that he didn’t like going to public things, it was just that parties seemed kind of intimidating. He had only been to one other, and it ended being busted. It left him with a bad taste about parties.

He was ushered into the dining room, maybe? He really couldn’t be too sure. He didn’t have a lot of time to look around, as he heard some girl yell, “Who’ll take a shot with me?” the roar of people offering to take another shot added to the noise already, before he felt a shot glass enter his hand, and Tanaka grin.

“Just the one! I know you’re not into it. We can leave soon, alright?” Tanaka yelled over the music, before clinking the small glass and throwing it back. Looking cautiously at the shot in his hand, he wondered if he should.

“What is it?” He asked Tanaka inquisitively. He watched Tanaka turn around and look at the table.

“Uh….” He stalled for a second, “I think that it's just some vodka? I’m not sure. Don’t worry ok?” Hinata looked down at his hand again. He felt nervous. But maybe that’s why he never had fun at parties? He didn’t have to have more than one. It’ll be fine. 

He slowly raised it to his lips and took it in one gulp, his throat burning. He stuck his tongue out, letting out a sound of disgust. God, this stuff is awful. Setting down the slightly sticky glass on the table, he tried to ignore the nagging thought of who could have used that beside him tonight. Looking around, Tanaka had already disappeared. Rolling his eyes, he couldn’t even try to be upset. Tanaka got swept away at things like this. 

Looking back over at the table, it was covered in several chasers and liquor. Spotting some tiki punch, he grabbed a cup and quickly poured himself a glass. Maybe this will water everything down? He sure hoped so. Taking a gulp of the sugary sweet juice, he looked around. There was no food on the table? Frowning, he turned to look through the crowd. He thought that the kitchen was over there.  
The one thing he hated the most about parties was his size. Slowly squeezing his way through, he finally made it to the kitchen. Everyone always pushed him around, spilling a drink on him and elbowing him. It was one of the disadvantages of being shorter. Finding a bowl of chips, he quickly grabbed a handful and munched happily as he rested against the counter. 

He wasn’t sure how much time it had been since he had taken that shot, but he had an inkling that he was going to feel it soon. He had a speedy metabolism, and he didn’t need much to get tipsy. Pushing himself from the comfort of the counter, he felt a wave of dizziness crash over him. Yeah, it had already happened.

Knowing that Tanaka had already had a few drinks, he knew that if he found him now, they could leave. Before Tanaka got drunk enough to not want to go. As he slid through the crowd, he looked around to see if he could spot him, but no dice. He couldn’t find him anywhere. 

Opening up the back door, he poked his head out to look around, most people quietly smoking. Tanaka wasn’t a smoker, so he retreated in quickly. Maybe he was in the bathroom? Leaning against a wall, he would just wait a little bit. Tanaka always eventually finds him. 

After a few minutes, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning to look, he was met almost eye level with some random guy he’d never met. He was smiling brightly, as he leaned in to talk to Hinata. “Hey! You’re not having fun. Us shorties gotta stick together. Come with me!” Grabbing Hinata by the arm, he dodged through the crowd quickly, coming to the familiar drink table. 

“Cmon, you gotta take at least one shot with me.” Handing Hinata a shot glass, he pleaded. Hinata looked down at the shot. This time it was brown? Maybe whiskey?” Looking up at the other, who held the bottle in his hand. Oh yeah, that was whiskey. They clinked their varying drink sizes together and took a swig. 

He swore it never got more comfortable. It was always awful! Letting out a little cough, He looked back to see the other gleefully jostling around. “I'm Nishinoya!” He yelled.  
“I'm Hinata.” He responded back quickly, trying to keep his attention. This guy was probably a drink or two deeper than him. He watched as Nishinoya pulled out his phone, the screen cracked. The screen flipped on and he opened his Snapchat.

“Add me! Oh, and give me your phone!” He watched as Nishinoya held his hand out, his face serious. Hinata quickly handed him his phone. 

“Uh, it's just 1234…I know.” He told Nishinoya as he got into his phone. He watched Nishinoya for a second as he paused. 

“You know, Kageyama? Awesome! Wait, you’re not friends with him. Here!” He clicked the friend button and quickly typed in his own username in the search bar before adding Hinata. Hinatas jaw went slack as the phone slid back into his hands. He…. Oh no. He can’t take that back.

He felt his phone buzz. Looking down at his notifications, a chill ran through him. Kageyama accepted it already. Oh god. No. Looking back up at Nishinoya, he frowned.

“You have NO idea what you’ve done.” He sighed and rubbed his hands on his face, roughly. He shot a glare at Nishinoya. Well, now that he wanted to die from embarrassment, he didn’t care. “Hand me that bottle.”

Cheering, Nishinoya handed him the bottle. Surveying it quickly, Hinata didn’t care anymore. Was it the embarrassment or had that second shot already kicked in? Too late now. Shrugging, he threw the bottle against his lips, taking 3 heavy chugs before letting it down on the table, letting out a yell. I guess that he was going to officially party for his first time now. 

A few hours later, a whole party change, and a bag of chips, Hinata found himself on the back porch of a random house with Tanaka and Nishinoya. “Hey, thanks for making me do this, Tanaka. You’re a real friend.” He heard his words slur, “Plus, I woulda never met Nishinoya!” 

He rolled over, and felt the cold dew of the porch on his legs, soaking into his pants. He heard the others laughing and chattering. Closing his eyes, he felt so dizzy. He tried to shake it off and pay attention to what they were talking about. He only heard snippets. Oh? Yeah! It was about how he and Nishinoya had met earlier.

“Yeah! And then he friended Kageyama on my phone! I'm soooo angry at you for that. I wasn’t going to, I already felt awkward enough around him!” He let out a moan of agony and slid down until he was lying down on the ground.

“What? Oh god, dude, sorry! What happened? Can you take it back?” He heard Nishinoya ask from above him. Opening his eyes, Hinata saw Nishinoya starting down at him.

Shaking his head no, Hinata rubbed his eyes. “Well, I fell asleep on him! And we slept like that all night, and I even woke up and just kept sleeping on him. SO embarrassing. Ugh. And then the next morning it was so awkward I wanted to DIE.” He heard Nishinoya and Tanaka laugh at him, and opened his eyes to see them hunched over.

Quickly swinging up, he saw his vision buffer, like it was stop motion. Made him want to puke. “It’s not funny! I can never talk to him again, and you seriously just made me friend him on Insta! And he accepted like almost immediately.”

Tanaka got quiet quick. “Wait, like, super quick? What if he was waiting for it?” He tried to stifle a laugh by holding a hand over his mouth but it failed. “Who even is it?”  
Hinata punched him. “You know! That grouchy guy that was in the back of that photo you posted.” Quickly pulling out his phone, he found the photo and held it up to Tanaka's face.  
Tanaka opened his mouth before looking back and forth at Hinata and the photo. “That guy!?” He exclaimed, “You can’t be serious. He is such a killjoy! Oh my gosh!” He laughed some more, and Hinata felt his face get red. 

Before he could yell at Tanaka, He saw a devilish grin spread over his face, and he swiped the phone from his hand quickly, before standing up. Nishinoya stood up too, laughing. Hinata tried the best he could to stumble to his feet suddenly.

“Hey, cutie…” He heard Tanaka say out loud before continuing to type, “I can't get that other night out of my head. Let's go get coffee sometime ;)” He typed as the others cheered him on.

“No!” Hinata begged as he drunkenly tried to pry his phone back, “Stop! He’s gonna get creeped out! Stop! Stop!” He yelled as he watched Tanaka finish typing and hit send. He let out a feral yell before jumping on Tanakas back. “I can't believe you did that! I'm gonna kill you!” He felt his fist punch Tanaka on the back before he felt himself midair, and he hit the grass with a soft thud.

Scrambling back up, he felt the tears on his cheeks. “What’s your issue? You made me look like a creep!” He heard Tanaka and Nishinoya stop laughing abruptly. They rushed over. 

“Oh man, I didn’t know it was going to upset you that bad. I’m so sorry, dude. You can punch me in the face to make up for it.” Tanaka apologized rapidly, pointing to his jaw. Hinata stared in contempt, before sighing and giving him a slight tap with his fist.

“Yeah, I’m upset. But you’re my bud. I’ll get over it. But don’t you ever do that again.” He looked down at his phone. 3:23 am? Shit… He had a class in 5 hours. “Hey… I wanna head back. I have a morning class… Ugh! I’m so dumb!”

They all laughed as Hinata felt his head spin. He quickly lurched over and felt as he spilled his guts all over the grass. “Shit…” Tanaka laughed. “Alright! Let's get back you party animal.” Stumbling to his feet, Hinata and Tanaka managed to make it to an uber, and to their dorm safely.  
Laying down, Hinata set his alarm quickly before laying down. He hoped he didn’t remember anything the next day. This night was a wreck. Never happening again.


	5. Gray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the break! I had gotten very sick, but I am hoping to start updating this more. Also hard for me to write because no one likes sad Kageyama :( poor baby! Hopefully, things start looking up for him soon. As always, I love love love getting comments! Thank yall for continuing to read <3

Kageyama woke up early that morning to shower and grab some of the good food from the dining hall. He rolled over drowsily in his bed, throwing his covers every which way, scratching his greasy hair. He picked up his phone and turned off his alarm, squinting at the brightness of the screen.

Unplugging his phone, he rolled over, bundling himself deep back into his blankets. It was warm, and he felt so comfortable. The light filtering into the room was soft and fuzzy, but also cold looking. He wanted to just enjoy the comfort of his bed for a little longer.

His eyes locked on the notification on his screen. He pulled down his menu and continued to stare. It was a message on Instagram. Tapping on it, he was directed to his inbox. He never got messages on Instagram. He saw that it was from Hinata. Oh jeez. His fingers swiveled in a panic above his screen as his mind went blank. As soon as it had gone blank, a whirlwind of memories and thoughts flooded in just as quickly. 

He remembered being up at like 1 in the morning or something. He was bored as hell and was just scrolling and scrolling. What else did he have to do anyway? He never went out, and he didn't really have a lot of friends… He cringed. Admitting that to himself felt terrible. Blowing air out the side of his mouth, he continued to stare at the inbox.

He finally made a decision after a few seconds and clicked on the message to look closer. He hadn't even really thought to read what it also said. His brain felt so fried it was ridiculous. If it wasn't completely dead before, it was now. He felt the words of the text echo through his head. His eyes were wide with disbelief, and he felt a shiver go down his spine. Quickly turning it off, he threw it on the bed and bolted up. 

He ignored the fact that he had left his comfy little cocoon. He didn't even seem to feel the cold of the floor underneath him as he snatched his things up and quickly headed for the shower. He needed one more than ever. 

He stood in the steamy air, his lungs taking it in like it were thick. It felt heavy as he dipped his head straight into the water. Scrubbing his hair too intensely, he washed the shampoo out of his hair like he was trying to wash his brain. Pulling down his hands, he looked down, his hands covered in small black strands.

The text flashed in his mind again. He shook violently, letting the water cascade off him. Why was he so bothered? Ugh. Whatever. He looked to the side as if what he was feeling was right in front of him like he was trying to avoid confronting it physically. He turned off the hot water and stepped out. 

He needed food. That's what he needed. He hadn't eaten in so long that it must have been affecting him. He sniffed his clothes from yesterday. Were they clean enough to wear again? No one would notice. He'd just change later. 

He was surprised by how many people were up. They milled about, grabbing this and that, piling their trays to take the leftovers to their dorms. He munched on his apple, sitting slumped in his chair. He never liked that sugary stuff anyways. The cereals and the doughnuts and whatever. He would have liked some bacon, but the things they always had here looked and tasted more like a dog treat than real bacon.

He chewed lazily, his eye fluttering around. He liked people watching somewhat. Not many ever bothered him. He wasn't sure exactly why… But he didn't know if it bothered him, it gave him time to himself. He never really had trouble just sitting and watching. 

He spotted a flash of orange from across the room, moving low and slow. Coughing on his apple, he bit his tongue. The taste of copper flooded his mouth quickly as he swallowed the rest of his mouthful. That hurt bad. He wasn't going to enjoy eating for the rest of the day now. Great. 

He was quickly pulled out of his pain, though. That orange mop was definitely familiar. He promptly scooted closer to the table, stowing his tray closer to him, wrapping his arms around it protectively as he gripped his apple. 

Tilting his head down, he wondered what that kid was doing here. I mean. That text had only been sent a few hours ago. Albeit the dead of night, but still! He glanced up, pensively from his tray. Hinata moved around slowly, followed by that one guy they had met. What was his name? Ugh, it slipped him at the moment. 

His eyes flickered back and forth as Hinata made he was through the dining hall. What was he getting? Orange juice. A bagel? And bacon. Ew. Kageyama continued to watch, trying to look distracted with his apple, taking periodic bites and glancing every which way. 

Why… did he… even care? He stopped mid chomp as the thought ran through his mind. He blinked a few times. His mind felt blank again. Because? Because obviously, he was just people watching. And it's even more interesting to see how people act when you know them. That's not also his fault. Anyone would be curious to know what their acquaintances do. 

He stared back down. All he had left was an orange and a few bananas. He shrugged and quickly stood up. It was crowded anyways. Too much noise to focus. He exited hastily, going back to his dorm room. He needed to change anyways. Plus, he had a class in a few hours. He should go do homework.

As he sat in his dorm, tapping his eraser on his notebook, his fingers fluttered around his screen again. He felt anxious today! He had always hated days like this. He scratched his head back, fluffing his hair up high. He was just glad that all his finals were over. There was one little extra credit assignment he was doing for his class, but other than that, they were going to break soon.

He sighed and lay his head on his arms. He knew everyone was going to either go home or travel on spring break. Frankly, he didn't want to do either. Well, not that he didn't want to travel. But more so that it sounded boring. Where would he go? What would he do? It seemed pointless.

So he was going to go home. It wasn't a big deal. It was only a few weeks. He could sleep and watch tv. Visit with his family. He did miss them. He could see which of his friends had come back for a break too. Maybe they could go out to eat or something. Who knows.

Maybe he should just break his phone, he thought with a laugh. He didn't want to see his peers living their best lives. It would only make him angry. Not angry, per se, just jealous. Now he just sounded whiny!

Sitting back up, he slapped the sides of his face and decided to go down to the library. It wouldn't hurt. Maybe he'd find something to help his extra credit. As he gathered up his stuff, he went to pick up the hoodie resting on the back of his couch. He slipped it on, the white fabric thick. It was one of his favorites. He had spent way more than usual on it, but it was really nice. 

He threw the straps of his backpack on his back. He looked down and felt his stomach turn upside down. His fingers quickly moved, inching across his chest as they plucked up the small hair swiftly. He stared at it for a second. This was NOT his hair. Quickly dropping the hair, he turned on his heel, the door clicking behind him as the orange hair landed on his carpet. 

He had made it to the library, and he had finished his extra credit work just fine. That didn't change the fact that he felt awful still. Today just wasn't his day. It just continued to pile on. He didn't know what to do truthfully. He felt like sleeping for 3 days. He felt emotionally exhausted. He usually never felt like this. It had been a long time, at least. 

He couldn't even focus on his last class. Not like he really needed too. It was just the professor collecting all their finals and extra credit. Saying thank you and reminding them to give them a review. It wasn't much to pay attention to but even still. 

He walked out of the lecture hall. Staring at his phone screen, he felt like internally screaming. It was only 3 in the afternoon. What. The. Fuck. What was he even supposed to do for the rest of the day? He didn't work, and he didn't have homework. But he still had one more final tomorrow. He didn't need to study right now! He felt like his brain was going to melt.

At that moment, he felt like throwing a fit. He wanted to just throw a fit like a 5-year-old. Why was he struggling so much today? He felt so complicated. He walked outside. The sky was gray, and the plants were all dead. The wind howled around him, and he frowned. It was even shitty out. Just his luck. There wasn't anything for him to do besides go back to his dorm and watch tv. He sighed and made the trudge back. Sometimes life sucked. 

The next day was the same. The only thing breaking the monotony was the fact that he got back from his final and packed up his stuff. Making sure to throw out whatever was in his fridge, and unplugging all his stuff, he headed down to the train station. He was going home. How long? For a few weeks. He can do this. He can make it. As he sat on the train, he watched the buildings slowly disappear.

He decided to delete Instagram. He didn't really feel like having that around. And Snapchat. He should just focus on relaxing while he was home. He didn't need the stress. He'd come back, and he'd do his usual. All he had to do was make it through college. Then it was just the rest of his life. His entire life. He held his head in his hands. What a crock of shit. His entire life? He already felt done.


	6. Winter Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama goes back home for Christmas and New Year. It looks like his New years wish is quick to happen!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am making an effort to write way more each chapter! Let me know what you think :) Also yeah the boys make a little more effort this chapter.

Kageyama laid back in his bed, looking at his walls. It felt weird being home already, but also just comforting. He stared at the clock on his dresser. It was noon. He had been sleeping all day. It honestly felt good! He lifted his arms above his head and stretched long and hard, letting his whole body shake. He always thought that those were the best stretches.

To be honest, he wasn’t sure what to do with his day. He had spent last night hanging out with his parents, watching tv under the kotatsu, and eating home cooking. He really did miss his mom's cooking. He rolled out of bed lazily, stumbling downstairs to see what was in the kitchen to eat. Thankfully, no one was home to yell at him for sleeping all day. He scoured the cupboards, his stomach grumbling angrily. 

He eventually settled for some leftovers from dinner. He really was too lazy to cook anything. He wasn’t even really that good at cooking anyways, so even leftovers were better than anything he could have whipped up at the moment. He waddled over to the couch, settling in for the long haul. Doing nothing for a few days was fine, it certainly wouldn’t kill anyone. As he munched on his leftovers, he turned on the tv.

He liked the background noise, even if he isn’t paying attention. He never got too invested in TV or movies. It had to be really good to get his attention. He didn’t really have a lot to do at home, and he didn’t like to eat and play his video games. It got the controller nasty. So he continued to watch whatever reality show was on tv, not really paying much care to what was even going on. They were always ridiculous, and they tried way too hard to be funny for his tastes. Honestly, they were a little mind-numbing. 

His intrusive thoughts popped into his head like always at moments like this. What was everyone else doing right now? He didn’t even know if anyone from high school was back in town. At least anyone that didn’t hate him. He wasn’t popular in high school. He had some friends for a while, but eventually, everyone just cut him off. It sucked, but what was he supposed to do about that? Not his fault… He frowned. Why is he even thinking about this? Ugh! He rolled onto the floor, staring at a small dust bunny under the couch. Gross. 

Rolling back over, he scooted over to the tv. He had set up his Ps4 the day before, and he knew that he was probably going to spend a lot of time on it. There was nothing wrong with it. His mom was used to it. When he wasn’t at school or practice, he was most likely playing games or studying. She had stopped nagging years ago, thankfully.

Not like he was a loser or anything. He still functioned just fine. He just happened to really like videogames. He grabbed his controller and went to sit down on the couch. He didn’t really have any new games, recently everything that had come out was trash. He decided to launch up a goodie but oldie, one of the first RPG’s he’d ever played. He preferred the turn-based RPGs. Shooters were just infuriating, and he tried his best to avoid any online games. Other than that, he liked horror games, but it wasn’t even dark enough out to play those yet.

Before he had even realized it, the hours had passed, and it was dark out. His mother had come home and started cooking. He heard the smell of the pork from the kitchen and felt like he was going to melt. He always loved it when she made Tonkatsu. He was going to definitely pig out tonight. Maybe he’d go run or something tomorrow morning make up for it. 

He sat down with his family to eat, and he quickly dug in. It was really perfect. He swore every time his mom made this, it was better. The only thing he looked forward to more was barbeque in the summer. But that was a long way away sadly. He listened as his parents chatted idly, talking about their days and whatnot. When he heard his dad's say his name.

Kageyama looked up from his bowl, mouth full. “Hmm?” He grunted. His father laughed. “Kageyama, how I college going? I hope that your grades are well. I would be unhappy to hear that you’re slacking.” He peered across the table, his glasses glinting.

Kageyama swallowed his bite. “No, It’s going really good, dad. I should have all A’s. I felt really great about my finals. I'll make sure to call you and mom when I get back and let you know. I’m just really excited to get all the basic stuff out of the way and start with the more intense learning, you know?” He took another bite, it was sooooo good. He chewed excitedly.

“Well, that’s good. I’m glad that you chose something practical too. I didn’t need you getting into something that wasn’t going to pan out for your future.” His mother added supportively, smiling from across the table. 

Kageyama nodded. His parents were very supportive. He didn’t know how much he was going to like a business degree, but he figured that it wasn’t going to kill him. He was never too good at maths or sciences. He hoped that he didn’t end up regretting it in the future. He honestly worried about it a lot. 

Standing up, he went to go wash his dish. “Mom, do you want me to help clean up?” He called from the other room. He listened to hear her respond. 

“Oh, thank you so much, Tobio. Could you take out the garbage? I would appreciate it a lot.” She yelled back. He went to root it out of the bin, tying off the handles as he slid it out. Sliding on a pair of sandals at the front door, he walked outside. 

It was freezing out. Kageyama hadn’t seen it snow yet this year. He was a little bummed that Christmas was going to be a tad boring. That’s ok, he should be seeing a lot of his family. His parents usually have a small party and invite family over. They watch tv and eat, and just in general visit. He looked up and down the street, the lights dim on the porches. He quickly threw out the garbage. 

A few days had passed, and he sighed as he lay on the couch. He needed to go get some small presents. Well, he didn’t have to, but now that he was an adult, he thought he’d get his parents some small gifts. After all, they had been getting him some for his birthday and Christmas for his entire childhood. He just didn’t know exactly what to get. He thought long and hard.

Maybe he’d just go down to the shops and see what they had. He’d find something for sure. Getting up, he threw on some warm clothes and checked his wallet. He had enough to actually buy some nice gifts for sure. He sighed, shoving his wallet into his pocket. It wasn’t like he’d do anything with his money anyway, right?

He had made it down to the shops, people buzzing around. They had already decorated the shopping center. There was a large tree, shimmering with lights as people moved scattered around, talking and laughing. He looked around him. He supposed he could go check some places out? It wasn’t like he was in much of a hurry.

He had been walking around for a while when he stumbled upon a pen. It looked nice and had a cap and everything. It examined it. It was heavy in his hand too, he bet his dad would like this. I mean, he could have it for work at least, right? Don’t dads like nice pens? He walked up to the counter. It was an older gentleman.

“Hi, how much is the pen? I didn’t see a price.” He interjected quietly, as to get the attention of the clerk who had his back turned. 

The clerk turned around promptly. “Oh, this? Uh…” He picked it up and juggled it around. “It’s about ¥ 2,000. Were you looking to get it? It’s a nice one!” He laughed loudly as he set it back down. Kageyama nodded and pulled out his wallet, fishing out his money.

“Yes sir, I was getting this for my father. That’ll be all.” He said as he gave the money to the clerk. The clerk nodded and quickly took his money, finishing the transaction.  
“Say, you want this wrapped or something?” He asked. Kageyama picked it up and stared at it. He wasn’t really sure. It seemed really fancy. Just giving it to him would probably be fine, right?  
He shook his head. “Uh, no, but thank you…” he mumbled quietly as he turned to leave. He kept walking around, looking to find something for his mom. It was harder than expected. Eventually, he settled for a cute mug with a little notch to hold a bag of tea. He knew that she liked to drink a lot of tea. Maybe she’d really like that too. 

The next few days passed in somewhat of a blur. I turned out that not a lot of his friends from high school had the chance to meet up. But that was ok, he ended up spending a lot of quality time with his family. He got to see his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and little cousins. Christmas itself was good, he got to eat a lot of good food.

It was finally New Years'. He was down at the shrine with his family, people milling around every which way. He thought about what he wanted to wish for in the next year. The obvious he guessed was a success in school. He slowly moved up to the shrine and threw in a coin. He watched as his mom clapped three times and bowed. He wondered what she had wished for.

Clapping himself, and taking a bow, he closed his eyes and thought of what to wish for. The first thought that popped in his mind seemed a little sad. “I wish…” well. He wished that he would do some fun things this year.

He opened his eyes and rung the bell. It wasn’t too crazy of a wish. He just hoped that it happened. Last year had been really boring. He turned around and descended the steps, joining the rest of his family at the bottom. They were all laughing and chatting about their wishes for the new year. 

He walked up and looked down at his little cousin. “What did you wish for?” He asked softly. The younger boy looked up at Kageyama with excitement in his eyes. 

“I wish that I get to get superpowers! I really hope it happens! I'd be the coolest kid!” He jumped up and down, shouting up at Kageyama. He laughed lightly. His cousin had always been so funny.  
“I hope you do too. Who else is gonna save the world?” He smiled down at the younger boy. “Hey, they’ve got a lot of food, you wanna go get a snack Naoki?” He asked the younger one. He watched as he nodded his head intensely. He pointed in the direction of his food to let everyone know where they were going and headed off.

They walked through the crowds, looking at all the charms and knickknacks that were for sale. Eventually, they found a place selling small sweets. Kageyama bought them each a little dessert. He wasn’t too big on sweets, but once in a while, he could have some. He handed his cousin the dessert. “Here you go, Naoki.”

Naoki quickly snatched up the dessert and gobbled it down quickly, barely letting himself breathe. They continued to walk and stopped at a bench to sit. Kageyama looked down at his food. He honestly was already full. Handing the other half to Naoki, he yawned. It was really early and cold. His family always went to the shrines so early. 

Across the crowded walkway, Hinata was buying a good luck charm. He felt like his luck had been so bad recently. Hopefully, this would help. Not that he hadn’t already wished that he had good luck this year. He felt like he needed to double up. Especially with his studies. He could study all he wanted, but it always felt like it was like rolling the dice. 

He turned around and trudged through the crowd with a frown. He held up the small charm in front of his face. He really did hope that it helped him. But obviously, it wasn’t, because as he contemplated this, he was knocked heavily by a group of teenagers running by. The charm slipped out of his hands quickly and flew as he was knocked to the ground. He yelled at the teenagers as they ran off, quickly getting up on his feet and looking around for his charm.

He looked up to see someone offering it to him. He started to thank the man, looking up at him. “Aw thanks, I wasn’t expecting that to happen!” When he noticed who it was.  
His voice caught in his throat. It was Kageyama. The Kageyama that he had slept on that night. The Kageyama that Tanaka had sent that awful drunk text to. The Kageyama that read it and NEVER replied. It had been a whole week and a half. Not that he had been counting how long it had been. 

His brow furrowed for a second before he tried to laugh the tension away, quickly snatching the charm out of his hands and shoving it into his coat pocket. “Much good that charm has, right? Maybe I need a refund? Hahaha… Well, I’ll be on my way. It was good to see you, right? Bye!” He quickly spits out before turning and exiting the scene as quickly as he could.

It wasn’t that he was embarrassed. More so, he was angry. It’s not like Hinata could just be like, “Oh, that really embarrassing thing I sent you? Yeah, that was my friend, not me! Oh, why did he? Beats me!” The situation was ridiculous. He was honestly still upset with Tanaka for that. 

He stopped under a tree and sighed, leaning against the trunk. He wasn’t going to lie to himself. He did want to talk to Kageyama again. But it was just so awkward. How do you come back from something like that? I mean, he barely knew the guy, and he fell asleep on him. Maybe that wasn’t bad for other people, but it was for Hinata. 

He couldn’t read the guy. At first, Hinata did really just need somewhere to study, and it was Kageyama's fault for kicking him out of the library. But with the studying and the coffee shop, and then waking up in the middle of the night on his arm? He had a crush. He knew it was just a little baby one, but hey. He had a soft spot for grouchy guys he supposed. He couldn’t tell if the guy thought Hinata was a total nuisance or not. He always acted so irately! And he wasn’t even ever friendly to Hinata. Maybe he should stop getting feelings for people that hated him. 

He laughed, throwing his head back to rest against the tree. He was so stupid, seriously. He just needed to focus on himself. He obviously had no chance with that guy. He heard the mumbling of the people around him dwindle, they must all be leaving. He lowered his head to look around and saw Kageyama standing in front of him, kicking the leaves around in front of him, a small child by his side.  
Hinata really wasn’t expecting that. He jumped slightly, letting out a gasp. When did they even show up? He stepped forward off the tree. Walking towards Kageyama.

“Hey…” Kageyama muttered. He sincerely felt embarrassed. But Naoki made him feel guilty. So here he was. He continued slowly, “You took a hard fall. I tried to point it out, but you left? So… you know your hand is bleeding, right?”

Hinata looked down at his palm. He was. He hadn’t even notice; he had been so preoccupied with his thought. Jeez. What was his problem? He laughed, Holding his palm up. “No, I hadn’t. I’ll be ok, it’s just a slight scrape. I’ll take care of it when I get home.”

“I didn’t know you lived around here,” Kageyama replied. He wasn’t sure why. He hated small talk…

“Uh, yeah. I have my entire life. I was coming back to say hi to my family. You know, with the holidays and all.” Hinata stuttered, lightly rubbing the scrape on his palm. Why was Kageyama making small talk? I mean, maybe he thought the message was a joke. Perhaps he didn’t? Hinata felt his face get warm. He would slap himself, but he didn’t want to look dumb.

Naoki tapped Kageyama. “Hey, I wanna go back to my mom.” Kageyama nodded.

“Alright, let's go then.” He turned to walk back when Naoki stopped him.

“No! It’s ok. You’re talking with your friend. I can make it back anyways. I’m not a baby, you know! I’m 10!” He laughed, before turning and running away from Kageyama. He shrugged his shoulders. Ok? That kid was odd.

He turned back to Hinata. He had been thinking about that message ever since he saw him back there. He really couldn’t get it out of his head. I mean, he had been trying to not think about it all break. It always wormed it’s way back in. I mean, the timestamp on it said 4 am. There was no way he was sober when that was sent. 

“So, were you totally plastered when you sent that? I mean, it was kinda funny.” Kageyama blurted out, letting out a nervous laugh. He couldn’t believe he even said that. “It was really stupid.” He continued to blabber.

“Uh, yeah. But it wasn’t me. It was a friend. You know how drunk people are. I was pretty angry.” Hinata laughed back, scratching his face. He really felt nervous now. This guy had no shame, huh?  
“Well, how long are you here for?” Kageyama asked. Man, this conversation really felt awkward. Was that just him? He was hopelessly inept with social interaction.

Hinata stared at him for a second. What was he supposed to say? “Uh…” He stalled for a second, “I think I’m leaving the day after tomorrow. You know?” Kageyama looked like he was going to pas out. Hinata stared at him, worried. He seriously looked ill or something. 

Kageyama felt himself nod. “Oh, alright. Cool. Well, I’ll catch you around, see you later?” He waved slightly and went to leave. He needed to get back to everyone else anyways. 

“Uh, actually! Wait!” he heard Hinata yell from behind him. “Wanna go get a drink or something? I mean, sure it’s only noon, but who cares?” He laughed aloud. 

“Uh sure… where do you wanna go?” Kageyama answered quizzically. This was really weird. Maybe he’s just trying to say sorry? He said that he wanted to do more things this year anyways. It won't kill him to tag along, right?


	7. Blurry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama and Hinata go out to eat. Is it a first date? Is it just lunch with a friend? Lines are blurry, and tensions rise as Hinata gets to know Kageyama closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this chapter treats you all well! I didn't expect the story to morph into this at this point but I hope you all like it! <3Enjoy!!!

Kageyama and Hinata made their way through the small streets of their hometown, a slight drizzle coating the tops of their heads and shoulders. Kageyama patted the damp hair down against his skull, frowning. He hoped that he didn't get a cold. They walked quietly, stopping to interject the occasional comment.

Finally, they reached a small ramen place. Kageyama felt his stomach growl as they walked up, the smell making him instantly hungry. He took a seat next to Hinata, glancing over at his phone as he opened it. It was a photo of Hinata with his family. Kageyama smiled for a second before averting his gaze quickly.

It felt creepy that he just peered of Hinata's shoulder like that. Adjusting his posture, he looked up at the menu board. He waited his turn to order, fiddling with his napkin while he listened to Hinata's order.

"Hi, can I get regular of the Miso? I'd like my noodles normal. Can I get some Bamboo shoots too? Thank you." He paused for a moment before piping back up, "Oh! Can I get 2 shots of sake too?" Hinata smiled and looked over at Kageyama.

Panicking, Kageyama's mind practically broke. He always hated ordering. It made him so nervous. Stalling for a second, he looked at his options before piping up. "Uh…. Can I get a normal Tonkotsu? I'd like my noodles hard. Can I get an egg with that too? Thank you."

The server nodded and walked away, leaving Hinata and Kageyama to themselves. Kageyama looked around nervously; there weren't a lot of people there. A lot of them were probably home with their families. It was New Years, after all.

Hinata noticed how nervous Kageyama looked. He felt a little wrong. Did he not want to be here? He could have just said no if he didn't want to come. Now he didn't even feel bad, mostly irritated. Sighing, he fidgeted in his stool. These ones didn't spin. That kind of irritated him even more! Seats that don't swivel suck.

"So, did you go to Karasuno Kageyama? I never saw you there." Hinata asked, throwing a curious glance at him out of the side of his vision. Kageyama always looked so brooding. He watched Kageyama as he thought. Hinata wondered if he knew how to relax. He always looked like he was ready to get up and run. Hinata stifled his laughter as he waited for Kageyama to answer him.

"Well, I applied there, but I got accepted to Aoba Josai, so I went there instead." Kageyama shrugged as he said this. He didn't really like to talk about high school, it was a sore subject.

"Oh, ok! That makes a lot of sense." Hinata answered, trying to keep the conversation from stalling. "So, did you do anything in high school? A club or sport?" He watched Kageyama's face drop when he asked that question. Oh no, he shouldn't have asked that.

"Uh, I played volleyball. It was ok, I guess I enjoyed it…" The words dragged out of Kageyama's throat, forced and thick. He didn't want to answer, but it's not like he was going to be rude. Hinata looked down at his hands. He felt awkward, very suddenly.

"Oh, haha, really? I played volleyball too. That's wild, who would have guessed?" He trailed off slowly, this conversation was definitely dead. God, this was awful. Now he was really regretting inviting him out.

Then he suddenly heard a laugh. Hinata raised his head to look at Kageyama, who was holding his hand up to block his face, laughing at him. "You played volleyball? YOU? You're the size of a kid!" He shook his head and took a deep breath in. "Libero, then?"  
Hinata felt his face heat up. It was one thing to ignore him. And another thing to be bad at conversation. But now this guy was making fun of him? Why was he even here? He sincerely wanted to punch this guy in this face! It wasn't also a hard-outer shell. This guy was just fucking rude. Just as he was about to yell, the server sat down their two bowls in front of them, and the shots too.

Hinata clenched his jaw, keeping himself from losing it. "Thank you." He picked up the shot and promptly threw it back. What was this guy's problem? Turning to look at Kageyama, he felt angry again. "Just because I'm shorter doesn't mean I'm a libero. I'm actually a spiker, so thanks, asshole."

Picking up his chopsticks violently, he started to gobble his ramen. He wanted to finish and pay as soon as he could. "Come up with a better insult next time too. A kid? Like I haven't heard that a million times. What's your issue? Are you really that rude?" He spits out curtly again, before continuing to eat.

They ate in silence for the next minute or two before Hinata stood up and put some money on the counter. He figured it would cover his half. "Bye." He turned on his heel, leaving Kageyama sitting alone at the bar.

Kageyama watched as Hinata walked away, feeling embarrassed. He looked back down at his bowl, twiddling with the string of his hoodie nervously. He seemed angry. Kageyama felt terrible, he hadn't meant to be mean. Had he really been that awful? He looked back up to see that Hinata had exited the restaurant. He sighed, his body felt heavy, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. Why did he always have this problem? Frowning, he swallowed. It was the only way he could push his feelings down a little bit.  
Looking back at the door, he felt his face grow hot and red with embarrassment. Throwing down an extra bit of money, he stood and exited quickly. He knew that he shouldn't have just walked out like that, but he felt so bad he could puke, and frankly they just could keep the extra. He didn't really care.

He didn't even know how long he had sat there for. A minute? An hour? He stood outside the shop, looking left or right. Where did Hinata go? He nervously kept swiveling his head back and forth, tapping his foot against the ground. He finally realized that Hinata hadn't even gotten that far. He saw him walking steadily down the street.

His feet pounding against the sidewalk, he ran towards Hinata. He heard his heart pumping in his ears. Finally catching up, Hinata turned around abruptly before Kageyama could say anything. He gave Kageyama a cold hard stare. It took Kageyama back, his feet stopping him.

"You know, I could hear you running. I was hoping that I could just ignore you." He scowled; his eyes were almost too intense to look directly at. Kageyama looked down at the ground. He could still feel it, it felt so sharp.

"I'm… I'm really sorry." Kageyama continued to look down at the ground. He didn't hear Hinata say anything. He waited for a second, there was nothing. He looked up cautiously. He was walking away from Kageyama.

Hinata frankly couldn't look him in the face right now. He was so angry he wanted to yell. He was so angry he wanted to punch something. He wanted to cry. He had always been an angry crier, and the idea of getting so mad he cried at Kageyama was too embarrassing. So he just kept walking.

He heard Kageyama's quick footsteps coming up behind him quickly again. He sighed. He just wanted him to go away. He was so upset. He felt Kageyamas hand touch his shoulder, resting on it tightly. He almost jumped out of his skin. He wasn't expecting that.

Kageyama quickly stepped in front of him, staring at him. He quickly glanced down at the ground, struggling to hold eye contact. "Look. I said…. That I'm sorry ok?"

Hinata grabbed his hand and tried to pry it from his shoulder. Continuing to push, he finally managed to loosen his grip and took a step backward. "Just because you say sorry doesn't mean I'm not angry. I don't have to just stop being angry because you say that, you know that, right? Can you stop? I don't want to talk to you."

He went to step around Kageyama, who very quickly sidestepped to block his path. Hinata felt his head heat up, he was getting angry again. "Stop! Move out of the way!" He tried to sidestep Kageyama again, only to be met with another block.  
"Stop being an idiot!" Kageyama yelled, his eyes shut tightly, "You can't just ignore my apology! I said I was sorry. I didn't mean to be rude ok? I shouldn't have said that…" Kageyama lowered his arms, drawing them close to his chest. "I was really mean… I'm sure you're a good spiker…"

The words seemed like they were choking him. Hinata scowled again, looking down at the concrete below his feet. It didn't feel sincere. It felt like it was hurting him to say. He felt a glob run down his cheek, fat tears spilling from his eyes. He sniffed and wiped his eyes. He was so fucking upset.

"I don't want to talk to you." He said quietly, wiping another set of tears from his cheeks. "You ignored my stupid drunk text, and you're just rude! I should have never invited you to lunch. You're awful!" He pushed past Kageyama and started to slowly jog down the street. His mind felt cloudy, his eyes stung, and the tears made his cheeks feel cold in the chilly winter air.

He continued for a few minutes, before finally turning to look behind him. He hadn't heard Kageyama's footsteps behind him, and he had been walking away. He didn't see anyone turn the corner, and he sighed. He felt all the stress from his shoulders drop as he dragged his feet slowly. He felt so exhausted. He hated crying, he felt so embarrassed.

Why didn't Kageyama follow him? He felt a frown form on his face again, getting angry. Wait, why was he even angry? What was his problem? Hinata slapped his forehead a few times with his palm. Can he shake the stupidity out of there? He stopped again, turning around as he walked down the block to see Kageyama ambling a way back behind him.

He instantly turned around again, lowering his head down to look at the ground. He had followed him. He really had followed him. Sighing, he stopped. No, he couldn't do that. He started walking again for a second before stopping. He couldn't decide what to do. He kept stopping and going. He probably looked insane! He turned around, keeping his eyes glued to the ground in front of him. He felt stupid, to be honest.

He waited for a minute or two before he saw two sneakers step up in front of him. They were quiet for a minute. They both stood there, looking everywhere except each other. "Idiot." Hinata murmured quietly below his breath.

"Stupid," Kageyama replied back, quietly as well. They continued to walk quietly as well. Kageyama looked down at Hinata, his face was slightly puffy. He held in a sigh, he felt so bad. He didn't know what to do. Or say. Does he still need to say something? He apologized. Plus, Hinata wasn't running away anymore. I mean he apologized twice already. How many times does he have to say sorry? Maybe Hinata felt sorry now too. He didn't know. He couldn't read minds.

"Kageyama," Hinata said, his flickering over to look at him. "Uhm, about that next thing I said? I don't know why I said that. I didn't even send it. It wasn't even real." He scratched his neck as they continued to walk.

"Hm?" Kageyama replied quietly. "Ok." He answered as they continued to walk. Why did he bring that up? He kept talking about it. Kageyama honestly wasn't even thinking about that.

They walked; the air was cold. Kageyama felt it nipping at his nose. It was starting to get red probably. He brought his hands up to his face, cupping around his nose as he breathed hot air into his hands. He didn't dress warm enough.

"I'm sorry again." He blurted out of the silence. He looked down at Hinata. He didn't know how many times he needed to say sorry. He had always been bad at apologies.

"Oh, thanks It's ok… Really. I'm sorry too…" Hinata looked back at Kageyama, giving a small smile. He honestly felt really embarrassed about the situation. "You're cold, huh? You can go home…" He continued, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Kageyama shook his head. "It's ok. Don't worry about it." Hinata looked over at Kageyama again. He looked cold, though. He started to feel bad again. He was wearing a thin hoodie and jeans, and Hinata had a warm coat and everything. He stopped walking, catching Kageyama by surprise. He stopped and took a step back. Why had Hinata stopped?

"Here." Hinata held his hand out. Kageyama looked at his hand confused. Hinata shoved his hand towards him again. "Here!"

Kageyama looked back at his hand. "… What?" Hinata sighed. Seriously? Did he have to say it or something? He reached out quickly and grabbed Kageyama's arm, lifting it up and suddenly grabbed his hand. He turned abruptly and started to walk forward, feeling his arm outstretch before they stopped moving.

Hinata looked back over his shoulder to see Kageyama staring at their interlocked hands. Hinata felt himself laugh lightly. "I forgive you. Come on." He tugged again, and Kageyama started to walk. They walked silently back for a minute, Hinata stealing glances every few seconds of Kageyama's face. He looked like he was about to puke, his face red.

"Also," Hinata said slowly, "I didn't send that text… But that doesn't mean it's not true." He let go of Kageyamas hand quickly and turned quickly. "I'll see you later?" He smiled before waving. "I have to get home, you know?" He laughed lightly as Kageyama continued to just stand there.

"Uh, ok. Yeah." Kageyama nodded, looking past Hinata. "I'll see you later." He waved as he watched Hinata walk away, letting out a deep breath from the depths of his chest. His mind was blurry. He turned around, looking at the streets. He wasn't too far from home anyways. He walked home quietly and slowly. He got back, walked up to the door, fumbling with the handle for a second before taking off his shoes as the door and walking in. He quickly went up to his room. What just happened?

Hinata felt a laugh escape his mouth as he walked away, turning the corner. That was so exhilarating. He felt like he just drank a thousand energy drinks. He can't believe he just did that. He felt so light. Pumping his fist, he continued to walk before stopping pulling his head back. Wait. "All he said was ok?!" He growled in frustration. What does ok mean?! That wasn't even an answer. Does that mean he didn't understand? Or he knew and said he liked him back? Or was that a rejection? Hinata felt his heart sink. Why was this guy so stupid and complicated?


	8. Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata finds himself in a bit of a situation as he arrived back at his dorm, and thankfully runs into Kageyama, who helps him from his unfortunate situation. Leaving the two alone for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In "celebration" of not only passing all of my finals, but also losing my job thanks to this damned virus, and also going into quarantine, I wrote... SO MUCH. I started and literally couldn't stop. I really really hope that you all enjoy this. Please let me know what you think, I am very thankful for you all! Because I am incredibly bored, and because you all probably are too, I will continue to update this more often, and try to write a bunch every chapter! <3

Hinata waved at his family as he stepped on the train. Settling into a window seat, he continued to wave as the train left the station. He watched as they grew smaller and smaller until eventually, he could no longer see them. Frowning, he settled into the seat, the train passengers quiet. The new semester was starting soon, and he was feeling excited about this new semester. He was hoping that he would focus on getting better grades, rather than just showing up to class. He felt like college was already steamrolling him.

He still confused about what had happened a few days ago with Kageyama too. It was good, and then really bad, and then good, and when he got home, and it was just confusing! He doesn’t even know. It felt like he had taken 3 steps forward and 2 back. He hadn’t heard anything from him since then either. Hinata had considered messaging him, but he felt awkward. Maybe this was Kageyama’s way of rejecting him? Or perhaps he was just too shy? Hinata didn’t know anything. This guy was impossible to decode.

He couldn’t stop thinking about it. He looked so dumbfounded. Hinata held his head in his hands, groaning. He could never make anything easy for himself, could he? He always felt so conflicted when it came to relationships. There was no one to blame it on except himself anyways, he supposed. Maybe he needs to ask someone else what they think? He just wasn’t quite sure anymore. He didn’t even KNOW if Kageyama liked guys. He shouldn’t even have held his hand without knowing that.

Hinata spent the rest of the train ride home mentally berating himself, hoping that he could just make it back and forget about it for the night. When he made it back, the sun was setting, and he managed to catch the last bus of the night back to campus. He wondered if Tanaka was back home yet. He had spent half of it at home with his family, and he ended up going on a trip with some others. Where did he go again? Shrugging, Hinata walked up to the familiar door with a suitcase in tow. Hopefully, he could get some rest tonight.

Swinging the door open, he felt a cold breeze blow in. What was going on? Flicking the lights on, he saw large pieces of glass lying around the floor, a large branch had broken the window. He sauntered up the window, expecting the branch sticking inside. “What the hell?!” He exclaimed. He heard the flutter of wings behind him and jumped to look behind him.

On the bed behind him, was a small bird’s nest with a bird sitting inside. It screamed harshly at him, flapping its wings defensively. He backed away quickly, leaning against a small desk. He felt a painful sensation run through his hand, looking down to see a piece of glass had cut his hand open. Sucking air into his mouth harshly, he raised his hand up. That really hurt. As he lifted his hand, the bird continued to squawk and flew around the room in a panic. Covering his head as the bird frantically bounced around, he ran out of the room quickly, slamming the door behind him.

He was glad to be out of that crazy bird’s way, but now he had a big cut on his hand, and there was a bird's nest in his bed. Plus, the window was broken, and its practically freezing outside! Who does he even tell about this? Rubbing his injured hand tenderly, he pondered. Was there anyone down at the desk? Or what about the floor RA? Turning to look down the hall, he hurriedly moved, looking for the RA’s room.

  
He knocked loudly, waiting for a few seconds before knocking again. “Hello?” He shouted. He continued to knock for a few minutes before giving up and trudging downstairs with his suitcase in tow. There wasn’t anyone at the desk either. It was late. He didn’t know what to do. Panicking, he started to fidget anxiously. What does he do? What does he do?

  
He pulled out his phone, maybe Tanaka knew. He pressed the call button and held the phone to his face. He waited as it rang. And rang. He didn’t pick up. Hinata sighed and rolled his eyes as he hit call again. He didn’t answer that time either. What was he going to do? He quickly sent Tanaka a text. “Hey. Birds in our room. I wouldn’t go in there.”

  
All the offices on campus were closed too. What was he supposed to do? He sighed, and sat down, waiting for someone to hopefully come in. Maybe the RA would come back soon? He didn’t know what else to really do if he were going, to be honest. He was so hungry too. This day was really starting to suck. Nothing was going right. He supposed if it got that bad, he’d just go find some cheap hotel to sleep for in the night. Even if he didn’t want to do that.

  
He heard the front door open, and the noises of someone come in. He looked up quickly to see someone carrying a few boxes. Jumping to his feet quickly, he rushed over to the person. “Hey, are you the RA? There’s a bird in my room, and the windows were broken…” He trailed off quietly before picking back up, “Hey, do you need help? Here, let me take a box!”

  
Hinata stood up on his toes and took a box on top of the stack in his arms, to be met mid-lift with Kageyama’s eyes. Hinatas' breath caught in his throat. Oh shit. Quickly retrieving the box, he took a step back. “Hey. Good to see you…” Hinata cleared his throat. “So, what are you doing?”

  
Kageyama continued to walk, nodding to follow. “I uh, got kicked out of my old room. They needed the two beds for other students, so I opted to move into one bed. I didn’t even need that much space anyways.” He continued towards the elevator, pressing one of the buttons.

“Oh, ok,” Hinata said quietly. They got on the elevator silently, and Kageyama pressed the button for the third floor. Hinatas eye flickered nervously back and forth, before finally settling on the ground of the elevator. They rode in silence for a few seconds.

Kageyama rustled with the boxes in his hands before turning his head. He didn’t know what to really say. “So, uh…” He filled the empty silence with useless filler words, “Bird? In your room?” He looked down at Hinata, who continued to stare at the ground.

“Oh yeah,” Hinata laughed lightly. “I guess a branch broke my window. There’s a bird in my room, and there is glass everywhere. I cut my hand too!” He laughed again. “There’s no RA here, and I don’t know what to do, the bird is furious.” He sighed nervously. It seriously had to be Kageyama? There wasn’t another person the universe could send his way right now? He really didn’t want to think about what happened over New Year’s. That was so embarrassing! And now he’s basically stuck in the elevator with his problem.

The elevator opened, and Kageyama stepped off quickly, sticking his foot on the ledge to hold the door open for Hinata. Kageyama felt confused. Where was the RA? He felt terrible for Hinata. They continued down the hall quietly again, Kageyama setting down his boxes in front of the door. “Thanks. I hope the RA gets back soon…” He said nervously as Hinata set down his box.

“Oh, me too… I don’t know what I’m going to do if he doesn’t.” Hinata laughed again. Kageyama wondered if he always laughed this much? He couldn’t remember. “But! Do you need more help? I can always help you?” He offered, pointing to Kageyama's door.

“No!” Kageyama blurted out quickly. He pulled up his shoulders to his ears, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Uh… no. It’s ok. I’ve been moving boxes for a bit. All I have left are my futon and my little fridge. You really don’t have to.” He felt like slapping himself. He sounded so rude just then.

“Oh! Ok, that’s fine. Well, let me know if you need any help, especially with the heavy stuff… I’ll just be in the lobby…” Hinata laughed again before slowly turning to go back down the hall. Kageyama waved, watching him walk away before he unlocked the door and went to go unpack some of the boxes really quick.

Kageyama walked in. He left extra early that morning so that he would have time to get everything over here. He already had all his clothes, and his desk, as well as his bed set up. All this stuff was just extra bits and ends, and then he had his little additional furniture to shove in here. He could get rid of the futon, but he didn’t want to let go of it just yet…

As he started to empty the first box, he frowned and sighed. Why did he have to run into Hinata? He felt so embarrassed, he thought he was going to puke in that elevator. Those last few days were so awful at home, his brain felt like mush. He didn’t even know what any of that had meant. What was up with that whole day? He didn’t even know where to start. He felt so confused.

Why did… Why couldn’t he stop thinking about how upset Hinata had gotten? He wasn’t even expecting Hinata to get that upset about an off-hand comment. Kageyama had fixed it, but he didn’t really know precisely how. He was just trying his best to make sure Hinata didn’t completely hate him. He never really tried hard to apologize, but he felt awful for how much he had upset Hinata.

And then all the sudden Hinata was fine? And then, he just grabbed his hand? Kageyama rested his face in his hands, crouching down. He didn’t even know what was going on with Hinata. He seemed to flip back on forth in his moods so much that it was hard to guess what he was thinking. Sighing, he continued to just crouch there.  
Is this what having friends was like? He had never really been close to anyone. He hadn’t really ever developed a relationship where he went to go hang out and eat food with people. He never felt this way about someone before. He smiled. He was kind of excited to make a new friend. He seemed glad too! It seemed like Hinata wasn’t mad at him about what happened either. He hoped that he didn’t screw this up either, or he could maybe make some more friends.  
Sighing contently, he pondered for a second. He needed to go get his other stuff soon. Slipping on his shoes quickly, he ran down to the lobby. Was Hinata still there? What was he going to do if he didn’t have a place to go? He entered the lobby of the building to see Hinata sitting there, waiting quietly for someone to come in.

Kageyama walked up behind him slowly, not sure how he should ask. He felt bad. He felt like he was just using Hinata. “Hey...” Kageyama said quietly. He watched Hinata turn around, locking eyes with Kageyama. “Hey, do you really want to help me move the last of my stuff?”

Hinata stood up. “Oh! Uh, sure. I really don’t mind that much. Do you need help?” He grabbed his suitcase.

“Sure. Hey, since the RA isn’t back, you can also sleep on my couch once we get it in the room. I wouldn’t mind…” Kageyama tried to smile lightly. He knew he always looked weird when he tried to force a smile, but he was trying to work on it.

Nodding, Hinata quickly ran his suitcase behind the desk, to make sure it was stashed somewhere safe. He didn’t think anyone would take it but, you never really know. He looked up, blushing lightly. He was going to spend another night in Kageyama's room? He felt a little embarrassed but wanted to smile. Kageyama must totally like him! He wanted to jump around! Breathing, he tried to calm down. Alright, he’s got this. He had to be chill no matter what!

They ran quickly to grab the remaining furniture, considering it was still cold outside, and now that the sun was setting, it was going to be even colder. The wind was howling by the time they had made it back with all the stuff. They looked around, it seemed like the building was empty still. Kageyama noted this and thought it was kind of weird. Where was everyone?

Kageyama quickly stuffed the futon and small refrigerator inside the elevator, trapping Hinata into the far corner. “Can you breathe back there? Sorry!” He observed as Hinatas hand poked through an empty hole and waved around.

“Yup, all good!” Hinata yelled back, half-muffled by the cushion that was smashed into his face. He heard the doors of the elevator shut, and Kageyama press a button. This was kind of cramped. He let out a small sigh, the heat of his breath bouncing back and hitting his cheek. He honestly felt nervous. And hungry. His stomach growled slightly. He hadn’t eaten since he had gotten off at the train station, and all he had was a small snack cake from a vending machine. He really could go for something more substantial right now.

The elevator came to a quick halt, and Hinata listened as the door slid open. Kageyama grunted as he moved something, and Hinata blushed. He sounded super-hot when he did that. Breathing, he closed his eyes. He needed to stop thinking like that! Hinata opened his eyes as he felt the couch move, surprised by the sudden movement. He quickly picked up his end and helped Kageyama move the couch out of the elevator, strolling as they closed in on Kageyamas dorm.

He heard Kageyama laugh as he sat down his end of the couch on the floor. “This thing is pretty heavy, right?” Hinata smiled back in an agreement, nodding his head as Kageyama messed with his keys for a second. The door was unlocked, and Kageyama pushed it open with his foot as they walked in, Setting the couch down with a thud.

Raising his arms above his head, Kageyama sighed. That couch was always so heavy. Or maybe he was just out of shape. He hadn’t worked out in forever. He felt kind of guilty about it, he had been in such great form throughout high school, and now his version of exercise was a short walk down the hall. He opened his eyes to see Hinata looking around the room, his face dropped. He felt terrible asking Hinata to help. He lowered his hands quickly and looked around. “So, you hungry?” Kageyama asked.

Kageyama pulled his jacket tighter around him, the cold wind whipping his hair around frantically as they made their way towards the dining hall. The streetlights were slowly flickering on, lighting the sidewalk in a pale warm light. They walked hurriedly underneath; their pace quick. Kageyama really just wanted out of the cold and some food in his stomach, he wasn’t going to be awfully picky about whatever it was at this point.

He still felt odd about the lack of people around. He knew that some people stayed longer than others in general. Even he wondered why it seemed like the entire campus was abandoned. He looked around, and it truly felt like a ghost town. He looked over at Hinata, who walked quickly beside him, his face practically buried into the collar of his hoodie, his nose pink from the bite of the wind. His hair whipped around just as excitedly, but hindered him a little more, getting in his eyes.

They walked up to the Dining hall, and Kageyama let out an irritated grumble. The lights weren’t on. Was it closed? He really didn’t need this. He stomped up to the doors, tugging on both handles for good measure before giving up. They were closed. Was everything closed? He felt especially angry now. What was going on? He turned around to look at Hinata.

“So… It’s closed.” He said bluntly, the howl of the wind nearly drowning him out. He saw Hinata's shoulders drop, and he nodded.

“Yeah… I see that. What do you wanna do?” Hinata practically yelled back, struggling to keep his hood on his head.

Kageyama shrugged. “Let’s just go back to my room, I guess.” He shouted back before wrapping his jacket back around him before starting to walk quickly.

They walked hurriedly for a minute before Kageyama heard Hinata start to talk. “Let’s run back! It’s so cold out here, I’m gonna die!” Kageyama laughed for a second before Hinata started to run ahead of him.

“Wait!” Kageyama yelled before stumbling to catch up, his feet almost tripping him as he started to catch up to the other. He heard Hinata laugh loudly as he continued to run, and Kageyama smiled. He felt the wind whip past his ears as he ran, the cold wind felt like tiny needles against his face. The building entered view as they skidded around a corner, Kageyama struggling to stay on Hinatas trail. He really did need to work out, he thought, as the cold air felt like burning in his throat.

They stumbled breathlessly through the front doors of the building, laughing as Kageyama bent down and rested his hands on his knees. He breathed heavily for a few seconds before getting back up and walking up to the elevator, hitting the button before resting his back against the wall. He watched as Hinata walked up to him, catching his breath from their little run.

“I’m still starving!” Hinata practically whined as they stepped into the empty elevator, and he walked towards the back to rest against the small railing. Kageyama followed behind, hitting the button.

“Well,” Kageyama muttered, stopping to think for a second, “I have some ramen bowls, and chips and stuff. We can have that? Sorry. I threw everything in my fridge out before break…”

Nodding, Hinata took a step or two back and forth. “Yeah! That sounds good, honestly.” The elevator stopped suddenly, and they stepped out into the long hallway, making their way to the door as they chatted.

“Thanks for helping me again, I appreciate it…” Kageyama said as he walked ahead of Hinata.

“It’s really not an issue. Considering you’re the only person here… I would have had to stay at a motel otherwise.” Hinata said nonchalantly as they approached the door. Hinata watched Kageyama unlock the door before they entered.

Hinata followed in behind Kageyama, sliding his shoes off quickly before sitting on the couch they had carried in less than an hour ago, still cold to the touch from the weather outside. He settled into it, watching as Kageyama hurried with pulling out the bowls of Ramen, he turned around to look at Hinata. He said something, and Hinata sat up quickly. “Sorry! What? I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Do you want chicken?” Kageyama repeated, gesturing to the packet in his hand. “Because I have other flavors.”

Oh no! That’s fine. I like chicken!” Hinata assured him, waving his hand in front of him. “Really, I appreciate it.”

Kageyama nodded and turned around, filling up the small cardboard bowl with water before sticking it in the microwave and quickly tapping in the numbers. The microwave came to life with a dull hum, before Kageyama turned around and began to sit back down on the couch.

He sat there for a second, hands awkwardly resting on his legs. He felt the urge to restlessly bounce them but suppressed the urge. He looked around for a second before pulling out his trusted safety blanket, his phone. His phone was always there when he felt awkward.

He mindlessly scrolled through his apps, his eyes blank as the posts passed. He didn’t really know what to do or talk about. He assumed this was why he never had many friends in high school… He looked up from his phone to glance over at Hinata.  
Hinata… was also on his phone. Of course, he was. Why wouldn’t he be? Isn’t that what you just kind of did? He didn’t want to claim they were glued to the things, but obviously, they all used them quite a bit. He turned back to his screen, counting down the seconds, glancing at the microwave.

Finally, he got up to turn it off before it reached zero. He always hated that noise. So loud for no reason. Pulling out the bowl of ramen, he swiftly put his own in before turning around to give Hinata his portion.

“Thank you!” Hinata exclaimed as he reached out for his bowl, taking it and blowing on it excitedly. He was ravenous. He was practically drooling right now for microwave ramen. He laughed as he picked up a large scoop of noodles before shoving them in his mouth. He should have thought about that. His mouth was on fire! He chewed hastily, swallowing. He opened his mouth and breathed heavily. He totally just burned off all of his taste buds.

Kageyama laughed slightly as he watched Hinata try to eat his noodles. Try was the keyword. Hinata shot him a glare as he shoved another bite fully into his mouth, the hot noodles steaming still. At this point, he was doing it out of spite.

Kageyama pulled his own out and proceeded to sit down and let it cool for a minute as Hinata continued to feverishly eat his hot noodles. Taking a bite after blowing on it for a second, Kageyama slurped his noodles up. He was thankful to finally get to eat. This wasn’t the best, but at least it was something, right?

“Thanks. That was so good!” Hinata chattered as he finished the rest of his broth off, holding the empty cardboard bowl in his hands. He looked around for a second before continuing, “Hey… Where’s your trash?”

“Oh, Over there.” Kageyama pointed in the bathroom, as he explained. Hinata nodded and stood up, taking his bowl over to the trash before throwing the bowl into the garbage.

“Uh… what about the chopsticks? Hinata asked again. He felt terrible asking so many questions.

“Just put them on the table. I don’t really care.” Kageyama answered flippantly.

Hinata set them down on the table before going back to sit on the couch. He patiently waited as Kageyama finished, looking at his still bare walls. It was weird knowing someone who didn’t have anything on their walls. It was probably so echoey in here.  
Hinata and his entire family had always been so cluttered. He wouldn’t say MESSY, but maybe more just… they always had a lot. Hinata liked to save everything! He watched as Kageyama milled around the room, putting away small things, stacking piles of papers.

Kageyama turned to Hinata. “Hey, do you wanna watch something? I gotta pull out an extra one of my blankets from the closet. Here…” He pulled out his laptop and gave it to Hinata. “I have Netflix already. Sorry, I don’t have an actual TV… I figured we could just set the laptop on my desk or something…” He paused for a moment. “I usually just watch by myself in my bed. But ill be back in a second.”

Kageyama walked towards the closet, pulling out a box, opening it before rummaging around. Hinata watched him for a second before opening up Netflix on Kageyama’s laptop… He scrolled for a minute, looking at what there was. He didn’t know what Kageyama really liked. He stopped for a second and looked at what Kageyama had been watching. It wasn’t too impressive, it looked like some action shows, Hinata guessed that he could put something like that on… He felt so pressured!

He looked over to see Kageyama throwing some blankets over on Hinatas “bed” for the night, it was a mish-mash of sheets on blankets. He looked back on at the screen. He scrolled down to the “Recommended” section and started to browse. He found this one movie about a bank heist. He shrugged and clicked on it, waiting as the loading bar popped up. He didn’t really love action, he really preferred comedies.

He hit the space bar and paused it, looking back up to see Kageyama laying out the blankets across the couch. He paused for a moment, standing there, watching as he grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it onto the couch. Turning around, Kageyama pointed. “Is this good? I don’t do this often, you know?” He laughed lightly as Hinata nodded.

“No! It’s great, thanks!” He reassured him, continuing, “I don’t really know what you wanted to watch, but I found this movie about a bank heist. It looked kinda cool!” Hinata assured him. Nodding, Kageyama hummed lightly. “Cool! Well, let’s watch it then!” Kageyama walked over and turned the volume on his laptop up before hitting the space bar again, walking quickly over to his bed before sitting down. Hinata watched and slowly made his way over to the couch, sitting down to watch.

A few minutes passed, the opening scene seemed somewhat interesting, but Hinata felt restless as he sat on the couch. The problem was well, he could barely see it. Or hear it. The tiny screen just wasn’t enough when It was 6 feet away. He glanced over at Kageyama for a second who was watching intently before settling his own attention back on the movie. Or at least tried to. He could barely tell what was happening! This was ridiculous…

Kageyama broke the silence. “Hey… can… you see it?” He asked Hinata. Hinata looked over at him before letting out a laugh.

“To be honest, no! I can’t even hear it, really.” He commented. Kageyama laughed lightly as he got up, walking towards the laptop.

“Yeah,” he replied as he paused it. “Here, we can just watch it over on my bed…” He walked over, setting it in the middle of the bed, before looking over at Hinata. “I know it’s a twin… so we can just sit with our backs on the wall.” He climbed up on the bed sideways, sitting against the wall. “Like this. It should work, right?”

Hinata laughed and scratched his head. “Yeah!” he got up and walked over to the bed, before scrambling on to set next to Kageyama. The movie started back up, and they continued to watch. Hinata wasn’t really into it like he felt before. Even if he knew what was happening before.

Because he was frankly really close to Kageyama right now. He looked over quickly out of the corner of his eyes. Kageyama was blank-faced, watching the movie quietly. Hinata tried to divert his attention back to the film, the sounds of bullets shooting, as the main character was running from the cops.

He thought back to earlier that week. Is that why Kageyama was so nice? Did he like Hinata too? Is that why he had Hinata stay here? No, Kageyama was just nice. He set up a place on his couch for him, after all. He looked over at Kageyama again. Unless? Hinata clenched his jaw. What was he supposed to do? Should he make the first move? I mean, they ARE watching a movie… alone… on Kageyamas bed…

Kageyama let out a slight cough, making Hinata jump. “Sorry,” Hinata lightly apologized, realizing how deep in his thoughts he had gone. He didn’t even know what had happened in the movie. He must have lost track for a few minutes.

Kageyama, meanwhile, felt like his brain was dead. This was weird. This felt weird. Why? This shouldn’t be weird at all. Hinata seemed really into the movie, after all, he hadn’t said anything, and he looked really focused. Kageyama thought the film was a bit bland and was having trouble focusing.

Especially every time Hinata would move, even slightly. He was on edge. He didn’t know why… He had felt really awkward all day, already. Especially after whatever had happened during winter break. He still felt really weird about that. He didn’t know how to describe it. He had been trying to avoid thinking about it. He was just glad that Hinata wasn’t upset anymore. He was petrified for a minute there that he had messed up another friendship.

And then that thing about the text. What did he mean? He was so vague about it! For a minute, Kageyama thought he had been… well… you know, saying that… he LIKED him. But that was stupid. He obviously didn’t. He barely knew the guy. And that was also another reason. He was a guy. He felt awkward about the whole thing. Kageyama wasn’t into guys, obviously, right? He didn’t think he looked like he was into guys. I mean, yeah, he had never dated a girl or wanted to, but that was just because he was awkward.

Girls were pretty! Really pretty… He knew that. He hadn’t even been interested in guys ever before. So, he knew he wasn’t into guys. But he had never wanted to date a girl either… He tried to scream. What was wrong with him? He had so much inner turmoil going on. At this point, he had given up on paying attention to the movie.

Kageyama felt Hinata shift again. Instantly, he felt his entire body tense, his hairs standing on end. He realized he was holding his breath. He was so nervous. How much longer was left anyways? He felt like he was going insane. It took all his will to not just jump up and run away, and spend all night locked in his bathroom. He stared across the room. He probably needed a shower, right? He had moved furniture all day, basically. Did he smell bad? Now that was all he could worry about!

Hinata heard Kageyama let out a sigh. Was Kageyama feeling stressed out too? He couldn’t tell. This guy was unreadable! He thought the movie should be ending soon, at least from what he could piece from the movie. So far, he managed to pick up bits and pieces. He didn’t think it was that bad, to be honest.

Hinata averted his eyes to look over at Kageyama and stopped for a second, his breath caught in his throat. Kageyama was looking at him. How long had he been looking at him? He turned his head fully, locking eyes. How long had it been? A second? A minute? At this point, Hinata couldn’t tell. Hinata's mind was racing. He could barely focus. What does he do? Oh god, he hadn’t felt this much stress, even during finals. Was he sweating? He felt like he was sweating.  
Hinata's body shifted. What was he doing? What was he THINKING? Their eyes stayed focused on each other, as Hinata felt himself move. It was like he couldn’t stop. At this point, it was like his mind, and his body were two different beings. He screamed internally to stop, something happen, anything!

A loud explosion burst from the speakers of Kageyamas laptop, startling them both, pulling them out of their trance, causing them to flinch and break the stare between them to the screen. Kageyama felt a small laugh escape from his lungs, weak and wheezing like he barely had enough air. Which might have been correct. He felt like he was going to pass out.

Hinata's eyes flickered back to Kageyama. No. NO. This was NOT going to happen. He was so close. He was going to do it. He was going to make the first move, and what? What happened? A stupid movie? He breathed in through his nose before lifting his hand and setting it on Kageyamas knee, causing Kageyamas head to swivel back to him, a look of confusion, like a deer in the headlights.

Hinata felt kind of guilty. But he couldn’t hold it in any longer. If he had to go sleep in the hallway, then so be it. He’d live. He felt himself move forward, and he closed his eyes tightly, preparing for what was going to come next.  
And then he felt it. It was so warm. He could melt. Hinata pressed lightly into Kageyamas lips, for one second, two seconds, three, taking in everything. The smell, the taste, the feeling. He felt lightheaded. Like he was going to pass out. He pulled away, looking down as he settled back onto the bed, the sounds of the movie continuing in the background, flooding into his ears. It seemed like it had been silent when he had kissed him.

Hinata looked back up to see Kageyama looking forward, his face flustered and red. He wore an expression of embarrassment and stress. Hinata paused, his face dropping. He fucked up. He fucked up, oh no. He started to panic, his vision shaking. He shouldn’t have done that.

Kageyama's voice grumbled, quiet and softly, “Hinata…” he paused, at a loss for words. Hinata couldn’t do anything but stare in horror. He really shouldn’t have done this. What if he is angry? Like… Really angry? He felt his body instinctively reel backward, only to be met by the corner of Kageyamas walls.  
“Why… why?” Kageyama paused. He was having trouble speaking. His lips felt like they were tingling. He didn’t know what to say. He was having difficulty breathing.  
Hinata didn’t… what? What does he mean? Why? He sat in silence for a second, watching Kageyamas face. What does he mean? Why would he kiss him? That’s a stupid question.  
“Do….” Kageyama turned slowly to look at Hinata. He tried to look him in the eyes but felt embarrassed. He couldn’t. He had never had someone touch him like that before. Franky, the only people that had ever hugged him, were family members. He continued, painfully slow. “Why?” His throat felt dry.

Hinata felt his mouth moving, but words weren’t coming out. What was he supposed to do? Or say? He thought it was obvious what that meant. There was no way he could misconstrue this. Kageyama looked like he was about to break. He really messed up this time, Hinata wanted to run. He looked at the door.

“Do you… Uhm, like… me?” Kageyama croaked, his face grew bright red. His mouth was so dry. He was shaking. He looked up at Hinata again. He had tunnel vision. There wasn’t even a wall behind Hinata. Only Hinata.

It was quiet. Uncomfortably quiet. No one said anything for a solid minute. It was going to drive Kageyama crazy. Kageyama whispered again, “Do… you like me?” Before looking up at Hinatas face.

Hinata stared back silently and nodded. He couldn’t even say anything if he wanted to. He was frankly petrified; he had just kissed him like that. He couldn’t tell what Kageyama felt. But he didn’t think it was looking good for him.  
“Like…” Kageyama's voice was quiet and hoarse. “Like… you like me?” Kageyama asked again. “Like… romantically?” He couldn’t wrap his head around it. He felt like he was spinning.

He listened as Hinata cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!” Hinata apologized, He felt the bed underneath them shift as Hinata quickly tried to scramble away. Kageyama's' arm reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder harshly, forcing Hinata back on to the bed with a bounce, stopping him in his tracks. He stared down at Hinata, eyes wide. His hand stayed locked on Hinatas' shoulder, like a vice, as he held him against the mattress. “Wait…” Kageyama continued as he stared at Hinata. “Please… Tell me…”

Hinata swallowed. He was so genuinely freaked out right now. Was he going to kiss him or beat the shit out of him? He couldn’t tell. Hinata nodded. “…Yeah.” He managed to croak weakly. He watched frantically as Kageyama continued to stare at him. “I like you.” He stated as bluntly as he could muster, his voice still weak.

Kageyama’s arms felt like jelly. His legs were so weak he wanted to collapse. What does he do? What does he say? He was freaking out. No one had liked him ever. No one had ever told him. No one had ever kissed him. What does he do? All he could do was stare.

“…Kageyama?” Hinata whispered gently. It looked like the life had drained from Kageyama’s face. He didn’t even look like he was breathing.

Kageyama's eyes flickered harshly back to Hinatas eyes. He was shaking. He felt himself trembling. His heartbeat was heavy in his ears. All he could feel and hear was the blood pumping through his veins. Could Hinata hear that? He breathed out quickly as he lowered himself down to Hinatas lips, crashing into them hard and messy, their teeth colliding harshly.

He felt like he couldn’t control himself. His body was on autopilot. He felt his lips move on command, his body dropping, propping himself up on his elbows as he kissed Hinata. Is this what kissing felt like? It felt… so good. Hinatas' lips felt so warm and soft, and Kageyama’s mind felt like it was traveling at a million miles per minute.

He felt Hinatas hand move up to touch his jaw, his fingertips felt like so intense, his nerves were on high alert. Kageyama pressed deeper into the kiss, against his own will. He stopped for a second, pulling away to lock eyes with Hinata, both of their eyes flickering around, as they panted breathlessly before they pulled themselves back into the kiss.

Hinata wasn’t precisely on edge about what had happened before, but more what was happening now. He moved his hand up to Kageyama’s hair, running his fingers through his hair. It was coarse and short, the strands moving fluidly as he glided his fingers across the back of his scalp. They kissed roughly and feverishly like they needed to keep going to survive. Hinata felt short on breath and pulled away to take quick gasps of air, staring at Kageyama, who seemed like he had come to his senses.

Kageyama leaped up quickly, sitting back as he stared at Hinata. Hinata propped himself on his elbows, his hair was even more messy than usual and his face red. Kageyama felt his face grow redder, if even possible. He had just kissed him. Oh my god. Kageyama’s hands were floating in front of him. He was back to panicking.

Hinata laughed as he sat up, moving closer to Kageyama. “Are…. You ok?” Hinata asked sheepishly. Kageyama looked up, blushing.

“Uhm…” Kageyama stalled as he tried to catch his thoughts. “I don’t know.” He looked back up at Hinata as he confessed.

Hinata felt a small laugh escape his lips. This was a weird situation. “Hey…” Kageyama continued, “I… don’t know if I like guys…” Hinata stopped. What? He had just made out with him. What does that mean?

“But…” Hinata stopped for a second. “Well… How do you feel?” He asked softly. He watched Kageyama’s face as he thought. He thought for a few seconds before answering.

“Uhm, I guess I feel… I don’t know, really…” Kageyama grew silent again. He didn’t know how he felt honestly.

Hinata watched him for a second. He didn’t even know what to expect at this point. “Do you wanna kiss me again?”Hinata hesitated to ask. Kageyama was silent. He was looking down.

“…Yeah.” Kageyama answered softly.

Hinata nodded, humming in response. He watched as Kageyama sat in silence. This was… a little awkward again. “Well… I can’t tell you… if you like guys or not….” Hinata sputtered.

Kageyama nodded silently. He didn’t know what to do. This was a lot. Like, very suddenly. He suddenly leaped forward, wrapping his arms around Hinata. He hugged him tightly, feeling the smaller boy tense up under his touch for a second before relaxing slightly. His head was tucked beneath Kageyamas, his hot breath tickling his neck as they sat there, in that position for a second.

Kageyama felt himself let go, pulling away. He sat there, still quiet. He didn’t know what to say still. Hinata put a hand on his chest. He looked down to the hand, resting on his chest and up at Hinatas face. “Do you want me to leave?” Hinata asked softly.  
Kageyama shook his head gently. “No…,” he replied. “I just feel… really confused.” He admitted. He felt weird saying that. He never thought this would happen. Did he like Hinata? He didn’t know. He liked how the kiss felt. He liked it… a lot.

Hinata nodded. He patted Kageyama softly. “Hey… we should… probably sleep, huh?” Hinata suggested.

Kageyama looked up. “Oh…” he looked around for a second. “Yeah. Uh, I need to shower. Do you? You can go shower first?” He offered quickly.

Hinata laughed. “Oh, thanks! Yeah, sure…” Kageyama scrambled quickly out of bed, grabbing a towel. “Here,” he offered it to Hinata. “Oh, and uh… do you have something to sleep in?”

Hinata grabbed the towel and looked over at his suitcase. He knew he did. He knew he did. He shouldn’t lie. Liars aren’t cool. He smiled and looked at Kageyama. “Oh no… I don’t actually.”

Kageyama nodded. “Ok, Here…” He turned around and quickly started to root through his things, picking up a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. “You can borrow these.” He handed the clothes to Hinata. Hinata took them along with the towel and walked towards the bathroom.

“Thank you! I'll be out in a second.” He hurried into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He looked in the mirror and sighed. Holy shit. He rubbed his face roughly, letting out a sigh. At this point, he didn’t want to shower, but he was just going to hop in quickly.

Kageyama paced quietly as he listened to the shower run. He needed to think. OK, so he liked the kiss. But in what way? He stopped… he felt embarrassed to admit it… but… Moving on! Ok, was Hinata cute? He closed his eyes tightly and imagined Hinata. His hair popped into mind first. Then his eyes. Then him smiling. Kageyama blushed and opened his eyes. Is he blushing because he thinks he is? That’s what people do when they like someone, right? He scratched his hair, tousling it every which way.  
OK! So… he liked to hang out with Hinata, and he thought Hinata was good looking. But he can think any guy is good looking and not be gay, right? That doesn’t MAKE him gay. He paused, sitting down on the couch, resting his head in his hands. He didn’t want to think about this, but… he already knew the answer. He didn’t even want to admit it to himself. While they were kissing, he…

He heard the water turn off, and Kageyama’s head popped up. He stared at the door tensely. That was weird, do something else! He quickly grabbed his phone, scrambling to make himself look busy. He scrolled in silence, waiting to hear the door click open. He looked over at the towel beside him and sighed.

Hinata roughly dried his hair, before patting the rest of himself down. He unfolded Kageyama’s t-shirt and felt like fainting. It was definitely too big for him. He slipped it over his head and watched as it draped over him loosely. He pulled the collar up over his nose and inhaled. It smelt really good. Hinata smiled and convinced himself this was what Kageyama always smelled like. It wasn’t just the scent of laundry detergent. Quickly pulling on the gym shorts, he rolled up the waistband, hoping they would stay up.

He walked out of the bathroom quietly and waved at Kageyama gently. Kageyama stood up quickly. “I took a quick one, so there should be enough hot water for you…” Hinata quickly muttered. “Thanks!” He added at the end. Kageyama hummed in reply.  
“Yeah, no problem…” Kageyama flippantly replied as he entered the bathroom. He closed the door quickly and leaned against it, breathing hard. Oh god. Hinata looked so tiny in his shirt. How is that possible? He wasn’t even a foot shorter than him… He quickly jumped in the shower, trying to think about anything other than what was waiting outside that door…

Meanwhile, Hinata idly milled around, grabbing his charger and settling down onto the little bed Kageyama had made him, along with a pillow and everything. He looked around the room, the faint sound of the shower in the background to fill the silence. Frankly, his mind felt empty. He didn’t even feel stressed out. He lay there silently, waiting for Kageyama to get out of the shower.

He heard the shower turn off, and he patiently sat and waited for a few minutes until Kageyama walked out quietly. He walked over to his bed before looking at Hinata. Hinata looked back at him silently. He felt the tension start to build again. Kageyama looked so blank. He missed thirty minutes ago when Kageyama was stumbling around all embarrassed, looking like a fool.

Kageyama walked up suddenly to Hinata's side, who was still lying down on the couch. Hinata glanced up at him, pensively locking eyes. “Uhm…” Kageyama said faintly, “I… think I like you…” He paused for a second, looking down at Hinata before turning quickly and climbing into his own bed. “Anyways,” Kageyama piped up again, “Goodnight.”

Hinata stared at Kageyama as he lay down. “Yeah. Goodnight.” Hinata watched as Kageyama reached over and turned off the lamp next to his bed, and the room went dark. Settling in, Hinata closed his eyes and sighed. This guy was really difficult.


	9. Deja Vu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata deals with the aftermath of everything, and Kageyama finds himself waist-deep in the most confusing part of his life so far, trying to wade through exactly how he feels, causing tension between the both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone's quarantine is going well and everyone is staying safe and healthy <3 I will continue to try and update this often, I understand that everyone needs to entertain themselves somehow, and I am super enjoying writing this! Let me know what you think, and I'm a bit sorry that the story has become SO dramatic but I guess that's just what I feel in my heart's heart LMAO. Hopefully, it becomes a little less rocky a little more soon and we get to the extra cute stuff! :)

Hinata woke up, his shoulders feeling stiff and heavy. Oh, that was right. He had slept on a couch last night… Not just any couch, either. Kageyama's couch. That was definitely an important factor, wasn't it? He shifted and pulled the blanket over his head. Man, he forgot how awful couch sleeping felt. He just wanted to go back to bed on top of it all.

As he lay under the covers, his eyes scrunched close, he sighed and thought about how AWKWARD last night was. He felt like this was supposed to be his year. It was barely even the new year, and it felt like a lie already. What was that good luck charm for anyways if it wasn't also going to work? Stupid thing.

He pressed his nose against Kageyamas' pillow and inhaled. The smell was dizzying but in the best sort of way. Now that he thought about it was surrounded by that smell. The blankets, the pillow… Even the clothes he was wearing right now. He smiled and continued to take in the scent, huddled underneath his sheets.

He wondered what time it was. It could be at any time. He didn't even really pay attention to when they went to sleep last night, it was mostly just the best possible escape route out of that situation for both of them. Not like he slept very much anyways. He managed to just lay there all night in silence, wondering if Kageyama was doing the same. He had the yearning to get up, to slowly tiptoe over to that tiny, cramped, twin-sized mattress, and crawl in.

He knew he couldn't do that. He was glad he didn't. But instead, he laid all night in quiet agony, sleep escaping him. He probably had some wicked awful eye bags from all of this. And he was super thirsty on top of it. He thought about popping his head out from underneath the covers and taking a look around. He knew the sun was up, at least, from the soft light that managed to filter through the blanket. Plus, it was getting hard to breathe; the air was hot and stale.

He emerged from the blankets, the bright light attacking his eyes. Covering them with his palms and pushing against his eyes, he stretched before laying his head back. He was seriously exhausted. Pawing around for his phone on the ground by the couch, he swiftly snatched it and brought it up to his face. The light flickered on, and he looked at the time. It was 7:34. Way to early. He groaned and set his phone down on his chest before covering his head with the pillow.

Go to sleep, go to sleep! He always hated the fact that he was somewhat of an early bird. It really made his life hard sometimes, mainly when he stayed up too late. He always ended up regretting it in the morning. Plus… he still needed a drink of water like nobody's business. Sitting up groggily, he got up from the couch quietly and tiptoed over to the bathroom.

He closed the door gingerly and looked at the faucet. Ah, he supposed he'd drink a little bathroom water. He laughed as he turned the tap on, and brought his cupped hands under the water, lowering his head to drink the water. He struggled not to sputter into the water, this was ridiculous. His face was dripping wet. He stood back up and looked in the mirror, his wild hair sticking every which way. Attempting to ruin his fingers through it, they got caught, Hinata sucked air through his teeth to stay quiet. He had a comb in his bag, right?

He snuck out gently to retrieve his comb from his suitcase, rooting around quietly in his belongings before plopping down on the couch, taking it to his unruly mop. He sat there quietly, focused on getting out all the knots. He really disliked his hair sometimes, combing it was the worst. He wondered why he hadn't been blessed with short straight hair like so many others.

As he put the comb away, he got back in his suitcase, rooting around for something to wear. Thankfully his mom had washed all his clothes before he left yesterday. She was a lifesaver. How was he supposed to ever be a real adult? Sighing, he stood back and turned around to look back at his phone. Oh shit, he had a few texts from Tanaka. He must have not seen them. Unlocking his phone, he opened the messages, his stomach dropped.

'Wtf are you talking about?'

'You're stupid af. Everyone's supposed to come back tomorrow?"

Hinata lowered his eyes, pouting as he considered throwing himself on the floor. What? How could he forget that? He really is so stupid. Shit! Standing up quickly and stumbling over to the window, he looked outside. Oh shit. No, no, no! There's no way this is happening. There were so many people coming in from outside. They were all moving stuff back into their dorms.

Ducking away from the window quickly, Hinata started to panic. What should he do? He felt like running around for a second before he spied the clothes on the couch. Glancing over at Kageyama, he rushed to snatch his clothes and put them on as quick as he could. He stopped, though, staring at Kageyama.

He approached slowly, softly as he kept his eyes locked on his sleeping face. He smiled. How did Kageyama look grouchy even when he was sleeping? Kageyama had his face pulled into a scowl, his eyes scrunched tight and his mouth frowning. He never saw someone look like that when they were sleeping. He stifled a laugh, before turning to go quickly, get dressed. Ok, first, get dressed. Then we can worry about everything else. One step at a time. It'll be ok.

Exiting the bathroom, he rushed around as quietly as he could, gathering his things. Walking in a few circles, he attempted to gather his thoughts. Oh! He should fold the blankets Kageyama set up for him. He turned around and set to work quickly when he heard a shift on the bed behind him. He continued to busy himself with the blankets. "What are you doing?" he listened to a quiet and raspy grumble come from behind him.

Oh no, Hinatas legs felt like jelly. His sleepy voice was to die for. He continued to fold. "Oh," Hinata answered flippantly, "You know, just folding the blankets." He set them in a neat pile before turning to look at Kageyama. He watched as Kageyama stretched, his first bumping the wall behind him as he sat up, rubbing his face.

Hinata smiled. "Well, I'll get out of your hair." He picked up his suitcase, and headed towards the door. "Thanks again, really. I appreciate it a lot." He looked back at Kageyama, whose face looked absolutely blank. Hinata pulled on his jacket and started to slip on his shoes when he felt Kageyama behind him.

"Sorry.." Kageyama mumbled, his eyes still tired. "Just woke up." He rubbed his face as Hinata took a step back, stuck between the door and Kageyama. "Uhm, how do I say this?" Kageyama looked down at Hinata, playing with the collar of his shirt. "About what I said before we went to bed last night? I Uhm…" Hinata looked down as Kageyama continued to stall. This guy has no way with words.

"I don't know if I meant that." Kageyama took a few steps back. "It's just that I nev-" A knock shook the door, causing them both to jump. Hinata looked up at Kageyama, his jaw slack. What do they do? Oh my god, oh my god. He watched as Kageyama reached past Hinata with one arm, grabbing Hinatas shoulder with the other, swiftly moving Hinata out of the way as he opened the door.

"Hey! Is this Kageyama Tobio? Nice to meet you, I'm the RA, Sugawara!" Sugawara stood in the doorway, Waving politely as he greeted himself. "I hope you're settling in well, and I hope it wasn't too much of a hassle. I apologize not being here yesterday, my train got canceled." Sugawara apologized brightly.

Kageyama stared at him blankly. That was a lot so early. This guy was like the sun. Too intense. He stood there for a second thinking. "Oh, thank you…" Kageyama said quietly before thinking again. Oh! This was perfect. He grabbed Hinata again, before continuing. "This is my friend. He showed up a day early too, and it turned out that his window was broken… No one was here to help, so he stayed here."

Hinata awkwardly waved at the RA. How awkward. He wanted to die. "Oh! I'm so sorry to hear that… What was your name?" Sugawara apologized quickly, looking over at Hinata.

"I'm Hinata Shoyo. Nice to meet you." He smiled slightly as he gripped the handle of his suitcase. He saw Sugawara nod quickly before thinking.

"Hey Hinata, do you have a roommate? Would you mind if we went and looked at the room really quick?" Sugawara suggested, pointing out into the hallway. Hinata poked his head out slightly, looking around. Great. Sighing, he nodded and headed out into the hall.

Kageyama reached out and grabbed Hinata's arm. "You can leave your suitcase here for now…" He offered softly. Hinata looked at him quickly and let go out the suitcase in his hand, offering it to Kageyama. Waving lightly, Hinata and Sugawara headed down the hallway quietly, before making it to Hinatas door.

"So, I got here, and the window was broken. And there was a really angry bird in there. I don't know if it's still in here." Hinata explained sheepishly. He watched as Sugawara nodded and smiled.

"Oh ok, no big deal, let's see what's going on." Sugawara assured him, as they entered the room. Hinata looked around. It looked pretty much the same as last night. The glass, the leaves. The wet bed from the rain was new. He sighed. Great! They walked in slowly, taking in the situation. He turned to look at Sugawara, who nodded as he looked around.

"Yeah, this is no good. I don't see the bird thou-" Sugawara was interrupted by the sound as fluttering wings, and they both looked towards the noise. Huddled down in the corner of the room, was a blackbird with a nest, puffed up, squawking noisily as it jumped around defensively. Sugawara quickly ushered Hinata to follow him, as they made their way towards the door, the bird started to fly around, creating an even more considerable ruckus.

They slammed to the door quickly as they made their way into the hall. Sugawara looked over at Hinata before letting out a laugh. "Jeez, I'm sorry! I will make sure that someone gets over here and sorts that out ASAP. Do you want me to call your roommate for you?" He offered as they started to walk down the hall.

Oh, no! That's fine. I can call him, but thanks." Hinata stressed. "But really, thanks. Do you want my number so you can tell me when they fix it?" Hinata offered flippantly.

Sugawara smiled and offered his cellphone over to Hinata. "Yes! That would be super helpful. I'll let you know about it soon." Sugawara answered. Hinata quickly tapped his number into the phone and handed it back.

"Thank you again!" He smiled before waving and walking away. Where was Hinata even going? He looked around. There were a lot of people walking around, it was chaotic. He pulled out his cellphone and jogged down the hall to the communal kitchen. Pulling out his phone, he quickly called Tanaka. He should probably know what was going on.

"Hey, Tanaka." Hinata said as he heard Tanaka pick up.

"Hey. What's going on with the room, dude?!"

"Oh, a tree broke the window. They have to fix it. I had nowhere to stay last night…"

He heard Tanaka laugh through the receiver. He pulled his head away for a second. "So what, you slept on a bench like a hobo?" Tanaka continued to laugh.

Hinata rolled his eyes. "No! I found somewhere to sleep."

"Oh? Where?" Tanaka laughed again. This guy was impossible to call on the phone. He leaned against the kitchen counter for a second.

"A friend. It's no big deal. Look, I talked to the RA an-"

"Who? You only have like four friends' loser!" Tanaka interrupted. Hinata rolled his eyes. He had way more than four friends. Tanaka was awfully pushy.

"Look, don't make a big deal about it, then ok?" Hinata whispered into the phone.

Tanaka was quiet. "Ok." He said anxiously. Hinata debated whether he should tell him or not. He was the one that sent that awful text a few weeks ago anyways.

"I just happened to stay with Kageyama, ok? He was here, and there was no one else and I hel-" He was interrupted again by boisterous laughter from the other line.

"What?!" Tanaka yelled through the phone, "You're pulling my fucking leg! You sly motherfucker, what you break the window on purpose? Huh?"

Hinata groaned. "No!" He yelled back, "Look, I knew you were going to make a big deal out of this. Don't even worry about it." Hinata paused for a second. "Look I gotta go, I'll let you know if you can move your stuff in later. Just go find somewhere to be annoying for now."

Tanaka continued to laugh. "Uh, ok, sure. Go get some ass Hinata!" Hinata hung up the phone, shoving it in his pocket angrily as he headed back to Kageyama's room. Like he could even think about that right now.

Back on that topic, what was Kageyama saying? He didn't mean what? Hinata closed his eyes as he stood outside of Kageyamas door, resting his head on the wood. Sighing, he knocked for a second, waiting patiently.

The door opened, and Kageyama stood there, a blank look on his face as he moves to the side. Hinata walked in and looked around for his suitcase, which was resting on the couch. Hinata grabbed his suitcase. "Thanks for letting me stay again. I'm gonna head out."

"Hey, I never got to finish." Kageyama said bluntly. Hinata looked up at him, silently. "Well…" Kageyama continued. "Well, let's see… I just don't know if I actually like you. I thought about it some more. I've never been with anyone. So, I don't really know how I feel."

Hinata tried to stop himself from getting irritated. Ok. So, this guy had never dated anyone? Did that mean that… Was Hinata his first kiss? Oh god. "So?" Hinata replied, continuing to grip his suitcase tightly.

"So…" Kageyama paused again. "Well…" He started to look nervous. Hinata continued to stare. Maybe he was in a bad mood, or perhaps he was sick of this uncertainty. Hinata scowled, he just wanted to leave and not talk to him again. "Ok, you know what? I don't know!" Kageyama suddenly yelled, looking very irritated.

Hinata paused. What? What was even going on? "Wait, hold on, don't yell at me!" Hinata snapped back, throwing his suitcase on the couch. Kageyama turned around, putting his hands on his head.

"Well, what am I supposed to do? You look at me like that, and I'm just gonna get pissed!" Kageyama yelled back. He felt so upset. He was just trying to voice how he was feeling, and Hinata looks at him like he's just pissing him off!  
"Well, I don't know, maybe you should figure out how you feel. It's not my fault that you're socially inept." Hinata retorted, walking closer to Kageyama, poking him in the back.

Kageyama turned around and looked down at Hinata. "Wait, hold up, I'M socially inept? I'm the one just trying to watch a movie, and suddenly you're just throwing yourself all over me!" Kageyama turned around and lowered himself down to Hinata. "So, don't call me socially inept. I'm just trying to be chill, and all of a sudden, you're acting like a psycho!"

Hinata clenched his hands, bringing his fists down to his sides. "You kissed me back! You didn't have to! You didn't have to tell me you liked me and then go crawl into your bed, you idiot!"

Kageyama shut his mouth and grabbed Hinata's suitcase. "Just because I kissed you doesn't mean I'm into you." He handed it over to Hinata and looked at him, he was genuinely pissed. What did he do to even deserve this?

Hinata snatched his suitcase quickly from Kageyama and set it back down on the ground. "Wait, wait to hold up." He rushed towards Kageyama immediately. "That's not how this works. You can't just act all bashful acting like you've never even thought about kissing someone and then act like some player, claiming you don't like me because you kissed me."

"Because I don't know if I do!" Kageyama yelled again, stepping back from Hinata. He looked up at his ceiling. "What do you wanna hear? Jesus! Go away."

Hinata grew quiet and sat down on the couch. He looked down at his hands, picking at a hangnail. "Well… Sorry. I was just getting irritated because you're confusing me."

Kageyama stared at him from across the room. "You're confusing me too." He replied bluntly. There was silence.

"You didn't even say sorry!" Hinata yelled again. Kageyama laughed. What? Why does he have to say sorry?

"I'm sorry, but that's the dumbest thing you've ever said!" Kageyama walked over to Hinata. "Fine. Sorry. I don't know why, but I am. You're unreasonable. To think I thought I liked you. You act like a brat!"

Hinata stared up at Kageyama. He clenched his jaw, holding in whatever words were going to spill out of his mouth. He wanted to leave. He tapped his fingers angrily against the couch. "You're really rude, you know that?" Hinata said, before going to stand up. He looked at Kageyama. "If you keep acting like that, you know that no one is ever going to want to be around you, right?"

Hinata was stopped in his tracks. He felt a Kageyamas' hand on his shoulder. Glaring to the side, he tried to shake him off, taking another step forward. He felt Kageyamas' arm tighten, and he was pulled backward. "Wait." Kageyama said quietly. "I'm sorry. Really."

Hinata turned around, looking at Kageyama. Why isn't his life some shitty love story, all rose-tinted? Why is he attracted to this jerk, and where is his knight in shining armor? This is a sham. "I just…." Hinata sighed in exasperation. "I just want to know if you like me. Like, are you straight?"

Kageyama shrugged. "I don't know… I thought I was. But…" He fidgeted with his hands nervously. How does he word this without sounding weird? He spent all night last night awake, thinking about it over and over in his head. He confessed to Hinata without thinking, and then the minute his head hit that pillow, he couldn't think about anything else. "I've never really liked someone… So, I assumed I was straight, right?" He fidgeted with his hands nervously.

Hinata stood there quietly, waiting for Kageyama to continue. "But then I met you, and you like, make me feel confused. You're nice, and I don't know; I like how short you are, and well, Uhm, I don't know." Kageyama felt the words spilling out of his mouth, he didn't know how to stop rambling. "So, like, I don't know! You made me nervous and then you kissed me! So, it was just weird, and then I just did it back without thinking…"

They stood in silence for a minute, looking anywhere but at each other. What was Kageyama supposed to say now? "So… I'm not sure still…" He laughed nervously and retrieved his hands quickly from Hinata.

Hinata nodded slowly. That… didn't make any sense. Was he just spouting random nonsense? He wasn't going to say that, though. He ran through what Kageyama said. That sounded like he didn't even know. "I don't… really understand what that means. To be honest. But ok." Hinata admitted sheepishly.

"Me either. To be honest." Kageyama laughed again. This was funny in the saddest way. He was really embarrassed at the moment. He didn't really know what to say now. They continued to stand there awkwardly for a minute. "So, what are they doing about your place?" Kageyama hesitated to ask.

"Oh, they're gonna fix it… Duh…" Hinata laughed lightly, "But I don't know when it'll be fixed. So that sucks." Kageyama nodded slowly.

"So… What are you gonna do then?" Kageyama wondered. He watched as Hinata thought for a second.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know. Until they fix my place, I don't have anywhere to go. It sounded like they planned on doing it by today?" Hinata remarked. To be honest, he wasn't quite sure. He didn't think that they'd kick him out.  
"If you're not angry with me, you can stay here as long as you want…" Kageyama offered, trying to not look desperate. He was pretty sure Hinata hated his guts by now.

"Oh, thanks… I'm not angry." Hinata laughed. "Well, I can hang out for now." Hinata walked back over to the couch, sitting down. He watched as Kageyama stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. This guy was like the human embodiment of awkward. Hinata laughed again, holding his hand over his mouth. "Are you gonna sit down?" he hinted.

Kageyama looked at him for a second before sitting down on his bed. "Oh, yeah." Kageyama looked over at Hinata. This was definitely more awkward after last night. He didn't know what to do… "You hungry? I want pizza." Kageyama watched Hinatas eyes light up.

An hour later, they found themselves sitting on the couch, eating slice after slice of cheap pizza. It was delicious even though it was cheap, though, thought Kageyama. They sat quietly, listening to the milling around of the people on the rooms either side of them, music lightly playing and conversations filling the silence. Hinata worried that at this point, there was no way they were going to come back from everything. Maybe they weren't even compatible… They both seemed kinda hot-tempered.

Was it too late to back out now? Not that he wasn't still interested. But Hinata had to wonder if he was meant to date someone that had the same temper as him. Hinata rested his hand on his chin, as he watched Kageyama eat a piece of pizza, his face stone cold stoic as usual. "Say," Hinata interjected, "You always look so serious. Eating, sleeping, even just resting. I've never seen someone so intense looking."

Kageyama looked at him mid-chew, raising his hand before he swallowed his bite. "You know what I look like when I sleep?" Hinata stared at him, blankly for a second. Huh, that sounded kind of creepy.

"Well, I just noticed this morning before you woke up. That's all," Hinata piped up defensively. It wasn't like he started at the guy or anything. Kageyama took another bite.

He started another sentence, mouth full, "Seems kind of creepy to me…" He smiled as he continued to chew. Kageyama enjoyed spending time with Hinata. Even eating pizza was a little less dull with him around, also if he made Kageyama want to tear his hair out periodically.

Punching him lightly on the shoulder, Hinata laughed. "Only if you make it." He settled back into the cushions of the couch. He supposed 10 am pizza was pretty good, even though he hadn't felt like he'd been up for a few hours. Laying his head back, he closed his eyes and let himself relax. "Your couch is so uncomfortable. It gave me the worst neck pain in my life. What is this thing made of rocks?" He heard Kageyama hum.

"Oh, really? Sorry. You can sleep with the bird next time." He replied dryly, finishing off the rest of the pizza. He picked up the box, and looked around… He really didn't want to take this down to the big trash right now, he was feeling extra lazy. Shrugging his shoulders, the threw the box haphazardly onto his desk.

"I kind of forgot how boring it is here…" Kageyama whined, sitting back down. Hinata grinned, looking over at him.

"Uhm, isn't being at home boring too, though?" He argued.

Kageyama sighed, Hinata was totally right. "Maybe I'm just boring." He stood up as Hinata laughed. "So, what do you do for fun then?" Hinata stopped laughing. What did he do for fun?

"Well, uhm.." He thought for a second, "I guess I just kind of go hang out with people. I go to parties sometimes. I don't know!" He looked at Kageyama, and he tilted his head to the side. "Hey, Kageyama, what do you do for fun?"

Kageyama looked surprised by the question. "Nothing… I don't do much besides watch TV. To be honest." Hinata nodded.

"Do you just want to watch TV?" Hinata suggested. Kageyama shrugged; he supposed it was better than nothing.

"Do you promise not to jump me again?" Kageyama joked as he pulled out his laptop. "We'll have to sit the same way again." Hinata rolled his eyes.

"I'm surprised you're joking about that, grumpy." He got up and quickly went to sit on Kageyamas bed. "So, what do you want to watch?" Hinata questioned.

Kageyama scrolled. "I'm not sure. What do you watch?" Hinata leaned over slightly. Looking at the titles as they scrolled steadily.

"Oh, that one is good!" Hinata said, pointing at the screen. "It's hilarious." Kageyama hovered the mouse over it. He had never heard of this before… It looked ok. He clicked on it, if he hated it, he'd live.

"I always hate finding something to watch… There's too much." Kageyama muttered quietly as they watched. Hinata hummed in agreement, pulling his knees up to his chin, leaning on the wall. Hinata felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Pulling it out, he read Tanaka's text.

"Hey, staying at that one frat house tonight. You know, that green one? They're having a party. You should totally come!" Hinata thought. Should he? He just got back here. He was hoping to get relaxed before classes started. But it was always so fun when he went, whether he drank or not. The pros and cons of the situation really weighed on him…

"Maybe." Hinata replied before setting his phone back down.

"Cmon… for me?" Tanaka replied back instantly. Hinata laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Idk if partying tonight sounds fun." He sent the text and watched as Tanaka typed.

"But you're funny af when you're drunk!"

"Maybe next time." Hinata replied again.

"lmao, ok. Wyd?" Tanaka asked.

"Watching tv w Kageyama" Hinata replied again, setting his phone down.

It was quiet again before the phone buzzed. Kageyama turned to look at him. "You get a lot of texts." Hinata looked at him for a second before laughing.

"Oh, yeah, that's just my friend bugging me. He wants me to go to a party tonight, but I don't know…" Hinata shrugged and continued to look at the screen.

"Really?" Kageyama pried, "Where?" He had never been to a party before, but he was still curious. They seemed like they would be annoying, so Kageyama had avoided them so far.

Hinata huffed, "Oh, I don't know, that one green frat house apparently? I think it's only a few minutes from here, to be honest." Kageyama nodded and looked back at the screen. "Why?" Hinata inquired.

Kageyama shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I just wanted to know. Maybe I'll go!" He jokingly stated before looking back at the screen. Not like he ever would.

"Really? I never see you at the parties." Hinata pointed out. Not that Hinata showed up to all of them, he went sometimes, and he got Tanaka a lot of times from those places in the past.

"Oh. No… That was a joke. I've never been to a party, actually." Kageyama admitted. It seemed dorky, but who cared? Parties aren't for everyone.

"Oh! Ok. That makes sense." Hinata nodded before he continued to tap away at his phone. Kageyama frowned. Made sense? What does that mean?

"What does that mean?" Kageyama asked. Hinata looked up from his phone and laughed.

"Don't pretend that you act like a frat boy. I don't expect you to be a party animal." He explained, shrugging his shoulders. "You're not incredibly wild. You seem chill."

Kageyama frowned. "I can party!" Not like he had, but he bet he could. All you have to do is show up. Hinata just nodded and laughed. "No, I'm serious!" Kageyama egged on.

"Oh, really? For someone who's never been to a party, you seem sure of yourself." Hinata teased lightly.

"Maybe I'll go! I can be pretty unpredictable. You don't know me that well." Kageyama crossed his arms.

"Sure, then go." Hinata joked flippantly. There was no way Kageyama would show up to a party by himself. He was way too shy. Hinata knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't be comfortable. Even Hinata was still uncomfortable going to parties. It was nothing to be ashamed of. They really weren't that fun.

Hinata saw Kageyama reach over to hold his empty hand that was resting on his leg. Kageyama's hand was warm, and he twitched very lightly as his hand wavered nervously. Hinata went back to texting on his phone, trying to get Tanaka to leave him alone.  
"See… I'm unpredictable." Kageyama mentioned as he continued to watch the TV show playing in the background. Hinata laughed. He supposed that he wasn't expecting that, but it wasn't like it was the craziest thing Hinata had ever seen.

"Hmm, ok. I'll give you that." Hinata joked. "But I've seen crazier." Kageyama squeezed his hand a little tighter as they continued to sit there. Kageyama thought he'd pretty much done the craziest thing ever. His heart was beating a million miles per minute. It was all he could hear. He looked over at Hinata for a second, who continued to scroll on his phone absentmindedly.

He looked so calm! How did he look like this was nothing? Kageyama stared at him for a few more seconds, waiting for him to pay attention to him, only to be met with silence. He was feeling frustrated! He reached over and suddenly grabbed Hinata's phone out of his hands. "Hey!" Kageyama snickered as Hinata desperately tried to grab his phone back, "Don't just sit on your phone!"

Hinata snatched his phone back quickly. "Holding hands isn't that big of a deal, you dork." He laughed for a second. "Do you want a prize or something?" He teased Kageyama as they continued to sit on the bed.

Kageyama pulled his hand back and rested against the cold brick wall. "Maybe." Hinata stared at him for a second before leaning forward, and making Kageyama close his eyes quickly, a soft kiss landing quickly on his lips before it left just as quickly. Kageyama opened his eyes and looked down. Why didn't he expect that? He felt his face blushing. Hinata made him feel stupid whenever he did stuff like that. Kageyama wasn't as brave as he was.

"I win." Hinata said bluntly as he went back to watching his show and scrolling through his phone as if nothing had happened. He was honestly trying to not stare at Kageyama. Not that he wanted to try to look cool, but it made Kageyama more flustered than usual, so it was more fun for him.  
Kageyama frowned slightly, fidgeting as Hinata went back to what he was doing. "I don't like losing, to be honest…" Kageyama admitted. As Hinata looked up to reply, Kageyama moved quickly, taking Hinata by surprise. Before Hinata knew it, Kageyama was over him, staring down at him with an almost scary kind of smile. Hinata felt his finger hit the power button on the side of his phone quickly.

Hinata licked his lips subconsciously, his eyes darting around, trying to piece together his thoughts. He wasn't expecting this. He didn't think Kageyama did either. They sat there for a few seconds in the silence. "I thought you didn't know if you liked me…" Hinata muttered as he stared up at Kageyama.

He watched as Kageyama swallowed. "Yeah." Kageyama muttered breathlessly as he stayed still in the same position. His eyes felt shaky, and blurry. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing. He was just doing whatever he wanted at this point.

Hinata brought his hand up to Kageyamas jaw before smiling and planting a light kiss on his lips. Kageyama let out a small breath before going back in, letting his mouth collide with Hinatas slowly. He swore that this was the most intense feeling in the world like he could feel everything all at once. He pulled back to take a breather, his breaths heavy and uneven. Kageyama's eyes flickered up to Hinatas hair, and he lifted his hand to touch it softly, his fingers running through the unruly curls. They felt soft, and Kageyama paused to dip back down and connect his lips with Hinatas again. Hinata hummed lightly, shifting his head to the side and letting himself lick Kageyama's bottom lip tentatively.

Kageyama's eyes shot open. What the hell was that? He pulled back hastily, bringing his hand to his lips. He looked down at Hinata, who was gripping the collar of his shirt, laughing hysterically. He could barely breathe. He hadn't seen anything that funny in a while. "That was my tongue." Hinata managed to wheeze out in his fit of laughter.

"Why would you do that?" Kageyama asked desperately. That felt so weird! He pulled his shoulders up to his ears, cringing as he thought about it.

"Uh, I thought you'd like it…" Hinata continued to wheeze. Kageyama frowned. He really got a kick out of this, didn't he?

"Stop laughing! What was I supposed to do?!" Kageyama exclaimed. Hinata propped himself on his elbows. Looking at Kageyama like he had just asked the stupidest question ever.

"You're supposed to open your mouth!" Hinata grinned, raising his hand to pat Kageyama on the cheek. "That's how you French kiss, you know? With tongue?"

Kageyama stuck his tongue out. Ew, that just sounded nasty. "That's gross." He watched Hinata roll his eyes.

"Just because you've never done it before doesn't mean it's gross." Hinata argued. Kageyama thought about it, his nose scrunched tightly. It still just sounded weird. He sat back up. That was just way too out of the left-field for him. He needed some time to recover from that whole ordeal.

"So," Hinata purred as he sat back up. "Are you sure you don't like me?" he grinned smugly, poking Kageyama on the shoulder. Kageyama elbowed him lightly, rolling his eyes.

"Maybe it's just watching TV." He laughed before he got quiet. "Actually," He continued, "Maybe I do… It's not like I didn't enjoy it. At least before that nasty tongue thing." Kageyama admitted with a huff.

Hinata continued to laugh as he moved closer to Kageyama. "Just admit it, you like me." Hinata whispered in his ear before giving him a peck on the cheek. Kageyama felt his cheek tingle from where Hinata had kissed it and felt his face grow red.  
"Maybe..." Kageyama muttered. He didn't know why he couldn't figure it out. He sighed and leaned back against the cold brick wall of his room.

"Guess we'll have to see. I don't plan on leaving you alone until you tell me, you know, that right?" Hinata grinned as he continued to poke Kageyama. "Even if you're super difficult to deal with."

Kageyama scowled down at Hinata. "Stop that!" He barked, slapping Hinatas hand away. "That's annoying." Hinata laughed as he continued to sit on Kageyama's bed, poking his arm. It might have been rocky so far, but he hoped that Kageyama knew how he felt soon. For now, Hinata supposed he would take random make-out sessions with this annoying, grumpy, confused boy.


	10. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama realizes that he's made a great mistake, and attempts to reconcile with Hinata, which isn't going to be easy. Tanaka decides to finally dip his toes into the drama, unable to watch his friend being pushed around like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is continuing to stay safe and occupied! I really hope that you're all enjoying this, and the direction it's heading! I've been considering posting a Tsukiyama fic, so let me know if you're interested in reading!

Hinata walked down the now quiet hallway, bracing himself to open the door. He knew that they had come by and fix it, but he knew it was still probably going to be a hell of a mess in there. He had felt so thankful for Sugawara; he really had handled it so quickly. It was only 4 pm, and they had removed the bird and fixed the window. He knew that Sugawara himself didn’t fix the window, but still. Hinata wouldn’t have known where to start.

“Don’t be afraid to call me if you ever need anything, alright?” Sugawara chirped confidently over the phone. Hinata nodded for a second. “Oh, and by the way, you can just call me Suga!” Hinata reflected back on his phone call with Suga only a few minutes ago. He felt weird calling someone above him by a nickname, but Suga asked so. He tossed the nickname in his head around for a second while he stalled, entering his room. 

He knew Tanaka would be there any minute, and he should start cleaning everything up. He had borrowed some cleaning supplies but was thankful that he did have most of the basics. He stared at the door, feeling overwhelmed. He hated cleaning. He wasn’t messy, he just wasn’t organized. He cleaned anyways, but he always tried to put it off until the last second. 

Thankfully Tanaka wasn’t a clean freak, so even if their shared room got messy, neither of them ever got upset about it. Hinata sighed and opened the door swiftly, quickly dragging in all his stuff. The door slowly swung closed behind him as he looked at the situation before him. It thankfully could have been a lot worse. There were leaves and sticks, of course, but the window guys had gotten most of the glass it had looked like. 

Hinata quickly got to work, sweeping up the twigs and leaves, depositing them in the trash before stripping his soaked bed. Of course, his side of the room had to take the damage. He grumbled quietly as he threw a ball of soggy sheets in the corner. An hour of scrubbing and picking up and laundry later, Hinata flopped down on his sheet less bed with a sigh. Tanaka hadn’t been back yet, but he was going to be so hype when he saw how clean it was! Hinata sighed in pride. He even cleaned inside the microwave! This was the cleanest it had been since they moved in. 

A moment of inquisition hit Hinata for a second. Maybe… They should clean more. Laughing, he rolled over. That responsibility was for Hinata in two years, not the present. He heard the handle wiggle for a few seconds before the door swung open, Tanaka striding in with a suitcase in tow.

“Hinata!” Tanaka crowed as he ditched his suitcase in the doorway, bounding towards Hinata. Laughing, Hinata sat up quickly to hug Tanaka, receiving a harsh tousling to the head. That really got old, in fact, it was old the first time Tanaka had done it. Peeling himself away from Tanaka, Hinata quickly spun in a circle, as if to say, “Look!”

He watched as Tanaka paused for a second, looking around. Tanaka jumped excitedly, quickly ushering around the room, making sure to inspect everything. “Well,” Hinata boasted, “What do you think?” 

Tanaka laughed, giving Hinata another pat on the head. “Damn, this is clean as hell! Why don’t you do this every week?” Hinata dodged his head as quickly as he could, trying to avoid that dreaded patting. It made him feel like a damn child, drove him mad!

“Ugh, you know I hate cleaning dude. I just thought I’d do this now. You have to do it when we get back from spring break, though!” He jeered lightly, Throwing a beer at Tanaka, who caught it clumsily, the cold can almost colliding with the wall behind him.

“Not if you get beer all over the fucking wall!” Tanaka grinned, before opening the can and taking a swig. Setting it down, Tanaka quickly started to shove his clothes into the drawers. “Man, I am SO glad my mom did my laundry for me. I miss that a lot, you know?” Tanaka blubbered as he hastily crammed his drawers full, the fabric bulging over the lip, not letting the drawer sufficiently close. Hinata rolled his eyes. He didn’t like laundry either, but he at least folded his clothes. 

“Yeah, I would have died this morning if I didn’t have any clean laundry.” Hinata flippantly pointed out as he sipped his beer slowly. He did enjoy Kageyama’s big, soft, baggy t-shirt, but if Sugawara had seen him wearing that, he might as well jump off the building. That’s the most embarrassing thing he could imagine. 

A mischievous grin spreading across his face, Tanaka swiftly retrieved his drink and flopped down on Hinata’s bed. “I can’t believe you did that, you little shit!” He pounded the mattress with his fist, his face breaking into a boisterous laugh. Hinata felt his face drop. Not this again. 

“Seriously, stop!” Hinata whined as he brought up his foot and kicked Tanaka in the side. “Nothing happened. He was literally the only person here, and he offered. It would have been weird to say no, ok?” Hinata huffed, taking a larger swig of his drink.  
Tanaka raised his eyebrows. “Oh yeah, nothing happened, Tanaka!” He copied Hinata as he rolled his eyes. “I call bullshit! You shared a bed with him, right? You’re not foolin me!” Tanaka continued to ridicule Hinata, a shit-eating grin on his face. 

“We only made out a little bit, alright?” Hinata admitted reluctantly, “But like I said, that was it. I slept on his couch… Plus, he said he didn’t think he liked me, so it’s whatever.” Hinata took the last few swigs of his drink, before getting up and chucking it in their bin.

“What?!” Tanaka exclaimed from behind him. Hinata turned around to see Tanaka snort, holding in a laugh. “I think making out is something, alright? If I make out with a wicked hot babe, I count that as something.” Tanaka argued for a second, “But that’s beside the point. I bet he’s totally playing you. He doesn’t like you, oh, but you can stay over, and you can make out? Like I said, bullshit.” Tanaka shrugged as he finished, tossing his empty can into the bin from across the room.

Hinata felt a sigh escape him, as he slowly sank into his mattress. “I don’t know, dude. He’s so fucking awkward. Like, I tried to kiss him, and he freaked out when I used tongue. He can’t even hold my hand.” Hinata pondered for a second. “I mean, I just don’t think he’s ‘playing’ me, or whatever you’re saying.” Hinata did little air quotes as he argued, feeling the beer in his stomach finally start to kick in.

Tanaka nodded. “Yeah, I guess your right.” Hinata noticed Tanaka was tapping away quickly at his phone. He wasn’t even paying attention! Rolling his eyes, Hinata pulled out his phone. Oh well, he can only expect so much out of Tanaka, he was an awesome friend, but sometimes he was so hard to get to focus unless he was super into it. “Ok, here.” Tanaka piped up, quickly getting up and shoving his phone in Hinata’s face. “Look, I know a guy, and apparently his friend’s gay as hell.” Tanaka stopped. “Sorry, was that rude?” Hinata laughed and shook his head, letting Tanaka continue. “Anyways, remember that party? This guys gonna be there. You should totally talk to him. Look! Look!” 

Hinata looked at the picture on the screen. He seemed smaller, his hair longer, with his bleached blonde grown out, his brown roots showing. He had a serious face too. Hinata pursed his lips, scrolling through the photos. Yeah, this guy was definitely shorter. Hinata shrugged, letting go of Tanaka’s phone. “Uh, I don’t know… He’s not my type, to be honest…” Hinata thought out loud. “He’s short…”

Tanaka pushed Hinata playfully. “Just talk to him. He’s not super into parties. Just chill with him, who knows?” Tanaka laughed as he winked at Hinata. Wait, what had Tanaka said?

“No, wait! I don’t want to go to this party tonight. C’mon…” Hinata pleaded. He wasn’t in a good mood. Frankly, he’d instead drink in his room and mope around. After what had been happening over the last week and a half, Hinata felt emotionally drained. Plus, he hated to admit it, but… He didn’t want to go flirt with some random guy at a party right now. He had been making out with Kageyama a few hours earlier, and he honestly didn’t know it until now, but he was wrapped around his finger. 

“No! I’m not letting you sulk around over some dumb guy. It’s not going to kill you. Get up, put on that dope button-up, and drink a fucking beer!” Tanaka badgered Hinata, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him out of his bed, Hinata landing on the floor with a thud, Tanaka dragging him limply across the floor.

Hinata laughed, rolling his eyes. “Fine! I give up, Jesus Christ!” Hinata pulled himself to his feet, sorting through his closet. He hadn’t worn this button-up in a bit. He did look good in it… Plus, he didn’t have to fall in love with this guy. They could just be friends. Tanaka never let Hinata mope like this. He sighed. He was thankful he had Tanaka; he really was a good friend at the end of the day, even if he was annoying. 

Meanwhile, Kageyama continued to lay around in his room, eating a bag of chips, and he strolled lazily through his social media. He really had nothing to do. He knew he should get off before everyone started partying for the night, or he’d end up getting angry and bitter. Setting down his phone, he pulled out his laptop. He can do a lot of things. Like, start reading his textbooks early. Then he won't have to be so stressed out. He sighed as he thought of what Hinata was doing… He was probably gonna go to that party tonight. 

Rolling over, he shoved his face into his pillow. He’d probably put on a nice outfit and have some drinks, and find someone cooler, and sweeter, and just better than Kageyama. He felt gross. He hated it when he fell into this hole of self-pity. He knew he wasn’t that bad… There was someone for everyone. If someone didn’t like him for him, then they weren’t the one. But still. It was hard when you were so fucking awkward! Kageyama felt his phone buzz, reaching around blindly, rolling back over to look at the screen. A message? Who was this?

Kageyama opened it promptly. He had never talked to this person before. “Hey dude, this is Hinata’s friend. You that guy he’s been seeing?” Kageyama recoiled slightly. Seeing? Was Hinata telling people? Kageyama felt himself blush. That was embarrassing. 

“Uh, we do not really see each other. But I yeah, I know him.” Kageyama tapped quickly before hitting send. He cringed as he read it. That sounded rude, he somehow couldn’t even communicate over text?

“Lmao, uh, ok. Anyways, he’s going to that party tonight with me. There’s this guy there that totes want him. You better show up if you don’t want anyone to steal him from you lmao” Kageyama dropped his phone on the bed. Shit. He felt his fists ball up in anger. He really didn’t want to go to a party. This sounded like his worst nightmare. But… 

He picked his phone back up. “Send me the address.” He tapped quickly before throwing down his phone, getting up to take a quick shower. He hated to admit it, but… The thought of anyone touching Hinata made his blood boil. He wanted to barf, thinking about some drunk idiot getting handsy with him.

For the next two hours, all Kageyama could think about was how angry he felt. Hinata wasn’t even dating him, but Kageyama wanted to punch any guy in the face who also looked at him. He stood in front of the mirror, changing for the umpteenth time. He didn’t know what to wear. He didn’t want to look bad. What if the guy looks better than Kageyama? He fretted, pacing around his dorm room.

Kageyama tried to gather his thoughts. Ok, this had to be it. He had to like Hinata, right? From what he heard when you love someone, they make you happy… And they make you nervous… And you get jealous. Kageyama knew he felt all that. Especially right now, he was so jealous of this punk. He was going to show up, and he was going to impress Hinata! Hinata was going to say, “Wow! You’re so unpredictable and hot! Who needs hot guys who party when I have you, Kageyama?!” Kageyama stopped for a second, his face dropping. He was going insane, wasn’t he? He was imagining Hinata fawning over him in his head. This was so embarrassing, and he didn’t even know you could be embarrassed by yourself like this. He slapped himself in the forehead.

When did he become like this? He felt his cheeks, his face flush. He didn’t know how to deny it anymore. He… He actually liked Hinata. He loved a boy. He likes boys? Kageyama pushed those thoughts away. He can have an existential crisis later. Right now, He had to look his best for Hinata. Where were those pants? He continued to rummage through his clothing.

Tanaka cackled on his bed, watching as the people milled around his room. He had invited over some of his and Hinata’s friends, to do a little Pre-Gaming. He watched as others talked amongst themselves, drinking and joking. The party was soon, anyways. Tanaka hated that people waited so late to the party. Waiting was the worst part! He looked over at Nishinoya, who was sitting next to him, holding Tanaka’s phone. 

“Damn! You really are ballsy, you know that, right?” Nishinoya laughed, handing Tanaka back his phone. Tanaka nodded in agreement. He looked around, making sure Hinata wasn’t near them.

“Right? I stole the number out of Hinata’s phone while he showered. This is gonna be fucking crazy!” He laughed for a second, grabbing Noya by the back of the neck, and jostling him around. “I hope it goes well; I try not to meddle too much…” Tanaka mused as he sipped his beer. “But Hinata is a really great guy. And I don’t know what this dude is up to, you know?” Nishinoya nodded in agreement. 

“That was that one guy Hinata was talking about at the last party, right?” Nishinoya asked. “What happened?” Tanaka patted him on the back. 

“You’ve learned fast grasshopper.” Tanaka joked as he folded his hands together. “But essentially he booty called Hinata did nothing, and then said he didn’t like him. Super confusing and rude, right?” Tanaka watched Nishinoya hum, as he took in the situation. “So, the plan is, get Hinata talking to this guy, right? I don’t think they’ll hit it off at all, so we’re safe there. And then When this guy turns up, I’ll get all on his case! Tell him to scram, leave my friend alone.” Tanaka glared into the distance, crushing his can of beer slightly. 

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” Nishanoya argued. “I mean, I don’t know, wouldn’t Hinata get really pissed if he knew you were doing this?” Tanaka broke out of his anger, fueled trance for a second, looking over at Nishinoya before sighing. 

“Yeah, to be honest, he’d kill me…” Tanaka griped. “But he thinks this guy is an angel…” He frowned for a second. “I don’t want Hinata to get messed with, I’ve known him forever. When Hinata gets into a guy, he really falls for him! And I’m not gonna stop him usually, but I don’t like the feeling I get about this guy. Plus, I know what he looks like, so I have a favor to ask you, Noya.” 

“What is it?” Noya asked reluctantly. Tanaka smiled mischievously. He knew he had to get Noya to help him. They may have only met recently, but they had become really close friends. This guy was awesome! 

“I need you to keep a watch for this dude out front with me, and then go inside and make Hinata does NOT find out where we are and what we’re doing.” Tanaka grabbed Noya by the shoulders, giving him a serious look. “This could go sideways if you don’t help me. You gotta help me, dude, please.”

Nishinoya shrugged for a second, turning away. Tanaka stared at him as he thought, mentally crossing his fingers. He couldn’t afford for Noya to say no. “Ok, I’ll help.” Nishinoya sighed. “But! Hinata doesn’t know if he catches you, ok?” Tanaka nodded violently, before shooting him a thumbs up.

Standing up, Tanaka headed over to Hinata and tousled his hair. “All right!” He roared. “Let’s do this!” He grabbed him by the shoulder, walking out of the dorm room with their other friends, heading to the party. This was going to go to plan. He couldn’t mess this up. Either it worked out well, or it went wrong. Either way, he couldn’t back out now. 

Kageyama heard a little ruckus down the hallway and stuck his head out to see Hinata walking towards the elevator. Kageyama blushed, before retreating into his room. Hinata looked so nice! He was really looking good. Did… He go to flirt with other guys? Kageyama hadn’t thought about that until now. What if Kageyama had messed this up? What if he had no chance now, and Hinata was just going to move on? He sunk to the floor, his head hanging low. He had no luck. He shouldn’t even go. He should just let go, cut his losses, and wait for someone willing to put up with his awful personality. 

What if Hinata just wanted to use Kageyama all along? What if he never wanted anything serious? He was just trying to hook up with him and then never talk to him again… Maybe that’s why he was so irritated… He’d go find someone that would sleep with him instead of Kageyama. Kageyama held his head in his hands. 

No. That’s not going to happen. Kageyama stood up. Hinata wouldn’t have gotten angry if he didn’t care, right? Kageyama gets upset when he cares about things. Hinata wouldn’t have sat around and watched movies, or sleep on his couch, or stop kissing him when Kageyama got flustered if he just wanted to have a fling. At least that’s what Kageyama thought. He didn’t really know a lot about relationships. But he had to at least see, right? He had to try. He had to compete for Hinata if he ever wanted to know.

Kageyama quickly left his room, swinging the door shut behind him, walking swiftly down the hall. They were probably all a few minutes ahead of him by now. Hinata had said that the place was reasonably close, hadn’t he? They might have already been there by now. Kageyama had really wasted ten minutes worrying back there, feeling sorry for himself. He sighed, pressing the elevator button. He needed to work on that, he was such a loser when he did that for no reason. 

It was still chilly outside, and Hinata felt thankful he had layered up. Probably not once he was in the throes of the party, with all that body heat, but for now, he was comfortable. Plus, he thought about how fun this was going to be as he sighed. He needed to just not think about Kageyama for the night. It felt like his brain was mush, all he could think about was him. Even now, when he was trying to avoid it, he was thinking about not thinking about him! 

Walking up through the front door, Hinata smiled. The music thumped deep, the bass moving through the floor as he walked through, people milling around. He felt Tanaka walk up behind him, grabbing him by the shoulders before leaning down. “Hey!” Tanaka yelled slightly over the music, “Follow me, I know where Kenma is!” Hinata nodded as he moved through the party towards the stairs. Sighing, he ambled down them, making sure not to trip. The stairs in this place were always full of nails and stuff, it was awful! As they descended, it grew slightly quieter, the air filled with smoke, people calmly playing billiards at a table.

In contrast, people sat around a coffee table, smoking. They walked up slowly. Hinata didn’t know many of these people. He might have seen them around campus, but he didn’t know anyone. He spotted Kenma’s long, grown out hair from across the room, nestled deep into the couch, a cat sitting on his lap as he tapped away at his phone. Hinata suddenly felt nervous, and turned around, only to be met by Tanaka. 

“Uh, I’m actually going to go get a drink first.” Hinata stumbled over his words nervously. Tanaka laughed lightly, before patting Hinata on the shoulder.

“Hey, don’t be nervous ok? He’s a really chill guy. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll go get you a drink, alright. What do you want, a beer?” Hinata nodded softly, watching as Tanaka smiled and walked off, looking at him like he was saying, “Go talk to him!” before he disappeared up the stairs. 

Hinata walked through slowly, before he made it to the old raggedy couch, torn up and stained. He grimaced slightly as he took a quiet seat next to Kenma. He smiled nervously before piping up. “Hi… Are you Kenma?” 

Kenma looked up, slightly surprised. Staring at Hinata for a second before stroking the cat on his lap. “Uhm,” Kenma stuttered for a second, “Yeah. Hi… You’re Hinata?”

Hinata nodded, looking down at his shoes for a second. This was… Awkward. Why did he let Tanaka rope him into this? He wanted to run away, and hide, and go home, and frankly never speak to this boy again. This was the wrong decision! 

“Is that your cat?” Hinata asked with a light laugh. He didn’t really know what else to say right now. There wasn’t a lot to talk about down here, and it was actually quiet enough for some good conversation. 

Kenma shook his head slightly. “No, I don’t know who’s it is…” He looked down and pet it again. “But he’s quite a cutie, right?” Kenma looked back up, flashing a tiny smile at Hinata. Smiling back, Hinata relaxed a little bit.

“Yeah, he is!” He reached over and scratched behind the cat's ear for a second before putting his hand back on his lap. “Do you like cats?” Hinata asked hesitantly as Kenma continued to pet the cat silently. 

Nodding, Kenma stopped to think. “Yeah, they’re nice, right? Cute and soft. They always chill in the basement during parties. So usually, I hang out with them.”

Hinata smiled and leaned back into the couch some more, matching Kenma’s position, before looking around the room. The air was thick and smelled heavy. He coughed slightly. He was never into pot. It tasted disgusting. “Do you come to parties often?” He asked again, and Kenma ripped his eyes away from his phone.

“Oh, no, not really,” Kenma said calmly as he looked back at his phone. “Do you?” Kenma looked over slightly as Hinata. 

Oh, not a lot. Every once in a while. There are too many people, so I get anxious, you know?” Hinata laughed some more, shrugging as he answered Kenma. He watched Kenma’s eyes open a little more, as he smiled.

Nodding, Kenma continued. “Yeah, I feel the same. But my friends bring me, So I’ll sit in the quietest place usually. I like to pet the cats too.”

Hinata smiled, moving his knees to face Kenma. At first, he felt like Kenma was a little rude and cold. But he was starting to see that he was just kinda shy! He actually didn’t mind talking to him. He was really calming to be around. He had a friendly smile too. He looked away for a second, trying not to blush.

“So, what do you like to do for fun?” Hinata smiled. He wondered if Kenma was a stoner. He was calm, and he hung out down here with them, and he seemed to talk really quiet and peaceful. He couldn’t tell if he was just high right now, or if this was how he was usually.

“Hm, I really like to play games. That’s mostly what I do.” He gestured slightly to his phone. “That’s what I’m doing right now…” He trailed off softly as he went back to looking at his screen. Hinata nodded softly. 

“Oh, cool. I play games sometimes…I always liked Pokemon. Do you?” Hinata watched as Kenma tapped his screen for a second before looking up at him.

“Sorry… Yeah, I do! My favorite starter is Bulbasaur…” Kenma smiled and put down his phone, turning to talk to Hinata. 

Hinata smiled. “Really?”He exclaimed, “Me too! But I always liked Pikachu too…” Hinata laughed weakly as he scratched the back of his head, averting his gaze.

Kenma smiled and continued to chatter more about games, petting the cat lazily. Hinata inwardly sighed, he felt so relieved. He was afraid this guy wasn’t going to be friendly for a minute. Hinata felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to be met with a bong being passed to him. He laughed, taking it in his hands for a second before looking to Kenma, gesturing to see if he wanted it. 

Kenma shook his hands out in front of him. “Oh no, Pot makes me really tired.” Hinata laughed for a second before turning around and giving it back to the guy behind him, turning back. He was glad he met Kenma, he seemed really cool! He leaned against the couch and continued to listen as Kenma chatted.

Meanwhile, Kageyama was being dragged upstairs by two guys, as he tried to fight out of their grip. “Hey!” Kageyama grunted. “Let go, god damn it!” The taller of the two turned around, glaring down at Kageyama.

“Shut up pansy, keep quiet and come with us.” Kageyama shut up quickly, and watched up the stairs, following the two up to a random bedroom. The smaller of the two exited quietly, leaving Hinata with this strange, shaved-headed, intimidating guy. This wasn’t who was trying to steal Hinata from him, was it?

Kageyama glared back and walked up quickly to the other. “Look here,” Kageyama muttered, “Stay away from Hinata.” Looking perplexed, the other paused before starting to laugh.

“Oh, man! You’re killing me. You think I want Hinata?” He continued to wheeze, before wiping his eyes and standing back up. “Look, kid,” Tanaka said, putting his hand on Kageyama’s shoulder. “I’m the guy that messaged you. Names Tanaka, don’t fuck with me.” He held out his hand, staring at Kageyama pensively.

Looking down, Kageyama gripped it. “Likewise.” He shook it for a second before letting go. “Why the hell did you drag me up here?” Kageyama questioned, walking over to sit on the bed. “I need to go get Hinata ASAP.” 

“Yeah, you and the rest of the world.” Tanaka quipped sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He walked over, Standing over Kageyama. “I don’t like your attitude, punk. I might have to teach you a lesson for messing with my friend the way you have. I don’t take too kindly to players. Especially if they’re playing my friend.” Tanaka grumbled as he glared.

Kageyama leaned back slightly. This guys vibes were seriously sinister. He grumbled lightly, rolling his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now get out of my way so that I ca-” Kageyama was interrupted by Tanaka pushing his shoulder harshly.

“Nah, here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna tell me the truth. How many guys you play like that? Huh? Invite him to stay the night?” Tanaka continued to grill him, not giving Kageyama enough time to reply. “I know your games. You’re gonna leave Hinata alone. Don’t reply, don’t call, and ignore him in person.”

Kageyama lowered his head for a second. “I can’t do that…” Kageyama said quietly. He felt himself getting angrier. He needed to go get Hinata away from whatever sleazeball was trying to get him! And he had some random guy interrogating him? This was such bullshit!

He heard Tanaka laughing and looked back up. This guy was seriously getting on his nerves. Who did he think he was? “Yeah, and why’s that?” Tanaka jeered angrily, continuing to glare down at Kageyama.

Kageyama went to stand up, only to be met with a push backward by Tanaka. That seriously pissed him off. “Don’t fucking touch me!” Kageyama yelled as he pushed Tanaka. Tanaka caught his footing, before walking back up to Kageyama. 

“That’s not how this works. Answer my questions, dipshit.” Tanaka leaned down to stare into Kageyama’s. He averted his gaze quickly, looking down at the bedspread. How did this guy look so intimidating? 

“I… I can’t stay away from Hinata.” Kageyama stumbled over his words. He looked up to see Tanaka standing over him, that same glare plastered to his face, silently judging Kageyama. He was seriously starting to lose his cool. “Look!” Kageyama spat angrily. “I need to go get Hinata from that Scumbag!” Kageyama shouted again.

He watched as Tanaka shook his head. No can-do little man. That guy out there is like an angel compared to you. Hinata told me how you treated him.” Tanaka rolled his eyes. “I mean, seriously. Don’t play games with Hinata. You sound like you’re trying to play all innocent. Well, guess what? I don’t buy it.” Tanaka scoffed back.

“I’m not! I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” Kageyama retorted, trying to stand up again. “Look, I have to go to Hinata, right now!” Only to be met yet by Tanaka’s hand. But instead of being pushed onto the bed, the hand gripped his shoulder tightly. 

“Yeah? And do what? Ruin his night? Tell him you don’t like him?” Tanaka mocked him, letting go. “You’re gonna have to convince me you aren’t some nasty player for me to even let you within 20 feet of Hinata.”

Kageyama sighed. This was fucking awful and embarrassing. He hated this. He wanted to just punch this dick in the face. “I…, I really like him,” Kageyama confessed, feeling his face grow red. “I didn’t know what to do or say. But I do. I know I do now. I got so upset when I heard that another guy wanted him. The thought of another guy just talking to him, or touching him, makes me so angry I want to barf.” Kageyama started to ramble, the words spilling out of his mouth.

“He’s so fucking cute and happy, and he’s hilarious, and I enjoy just being around him, ok? I fucking like him, and if he spends any longer down there talking to that guy, I might actually explode so you better let me through right now to talk to him, or I’ll probably do something I’ll regret!” Kageyama finished, out of breath, breathing heavily, his voice feeling sore from yelling over the loud music. 

Tanaka eyed him, the glare still plastered on his face. He sat in silence for a few seconds before looking behind him. “All right,” Tanaka said, sighing. “I’m giving you one more chance. If you fuck this up, you’re toast.” He moved out of the way slowly, as Kageyama continued to stare. “What did I just say? You’re an idiot. Like I said, if I hear you upset Hinata again tonight, I’ll beat you to a pulp.” Tanaka turned up his nose, continuing to glare. 

Kageyama nodded solemnly, and headed out of the room quickly, running downstairs. He needed to find Hinata. He looked around frantically. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. He knows that he’s here, just look for his hair. Opening his eyes, he looked around again, making his way through the party. He couldn’t find him. Fretfully, he started to pout, what if he had left with that guy already? 

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the smaller guy that had dragged him upstairs, leaning against a wall. Barreling towards him, he looked down, glaring. “Where is Hinata?” He demanded as the smaller stared up at him.  
“Tanaka know?” He asked flippantly as he looked around calmly, unfazed by Kageyama. He nodded feverishly. 

“Yes! Now tell me where he is.” Kageyama demanded again. He watched as the smaller roll his eyes. Before pointing over at the door.

“Down there. You’ll see him. Jeez, what an attitude, what does he see in you?” The other replied sassily as Kageyama turned to head downstairs, staring at the basement before him. He made it this far. Now all he had to do was go down there, tear Hinata away, and tell him that he liked him, simple, right? He breathed before he started down the stairs. He was sure he was going to mess this up.


	11. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama stumbles down to the basement, planning to patch things up with Hinata, no plan in sight and not quite sure who he may be talking to. He is determined to let him know how he feels.

Kageyama’s mind raced as he descended the stairs into the basement. He had no idea what he was going to do or say when he found Hinata. All he knew is that he felt so dumb for hiding how he felt so long. He knew he didn’t exactly know what it was at first, but now he knew. And that it was ok. Now all he needed to do was tell Hinata. As he felt his feet hit the hard concrete of the basement, he quickly scanned the room.

It was hazy, with smoke blocking his sight in the already dim light. There were more people than he’d expect down here, milling around, playing pool, and chatting lightly. He stopped for a second, taking the scene in. This really did look like a typical party. It felt so weird being here, at his first party, and he wasn’t even enjoying himself. He suddenly felt very aware of himself and his surroundings. He wanted to just shrink into himself.

He had been so focused on Hinata that he forgot where he was, and the fact that he didn’t know anyone, and this was something he had never experienced before. He took a deep breath, his tongue coated with stale smoke, his lungs sputtering. Smoke was disgusting, he really couldn’t understand why anyone smoked. 

Trying to focus on his original task, he scanned the room again, seeing a small redhead nestled into a couch in the far corner of the room. He felt his heart leap, and his stomach drop, his mind continuing to race as he stared at the back at Hinata's head. This was it. Oh god, he was really going to fuck this up, wasn’t he? He started to walk briskly towards him, hyper-aware of how his footsteps sounded on the floor. Was he really walking that loud, or was it in his head?

He stood behind Hinata, breathing heavily as he stared down at his head, the sound of his laugh muffled, almost as if it was so far away. Still, here he was, sitting right in front of Kageyama. He knew his ears were deceiving him. He continued to stare. How should he even do this? Tap his shoulder? Say his name? Was he overthinking this again?

Suddenly, Hinata's head whipped around, his eyes piercing with intensity at Kageyamas. Kageyama watched, the noise in the room drowning out, as he continued to stare. Hinata's lips moved, Kageyamas eyes flickered between his lips and his eyes. What was he saying? Hinata repeated something. Kageyama couldn’t hear anything. He looked around panicked. Why couldn’t he understand? Was he going deaf?

The noise came crashing back in an instant, as he felt a soft hand on his wrist, Hinatas voice pleading, “Kageyama? Kageyama! Are you ok?” Kageyama felt his head whip back down to stare at Hinata, his eyes wide and his mouth dry. He watched Hinata turn around to talk to the guy next to him on the couch. Was that the guy he came to speak with? 

He felt another soft touch on his shoulder, as Hinata was suddenly standing next to him. Their feet were moving, and Kageyama continued to stare at him as Hinata guided him somewhere. Where were they going? Kageyama tried to speak, but couldn’t say anything. Before he knew it, they were in a cramped bathroom, dimly lit, the linoleum peeling in the corners, as Kageyama stared. They were wilted and brown with water stains, along with the long streaks of water damage on the white walls. 

He realized that he was sitting down, on a toilet, head in his hands. A warm pressure stayed on his back, moving back slowly, back and forth, over and over again, as he just sat there and breathed. He blinked a few times, letting himself catch his breath. He really had no idea what had happened. It felt like he saw in pictures.

“Kageyama, are you ok?” He heard softly from above him as he regained his breath. He coughed hard, his throat dry and scratchy. He lifted his head slowly to see Hinata standing over him, a look of concern plastered on his face, the dim light silhouetting his figure as Kageyama stared above at him. It was Hinata still. He felt a smile form on his face, nervous and shaky. He reached up to grab Hinata’s hand from his back, hands unstable.

He swallowed hard before trying to utter another sentence. “…Y-yeah,” Kageyama said thoughtfully. He sighed, thankful that he had regained his ability to hear and speak. Hinata didn’t remove his hand from Kageyama’s, continuing to stare in concern at the other as he perched on the toilet.

“What are you doing?” Hinata pried, his words tinged with urgency. He was so confused as to why Kageyama was here. Just a moment ago, he had been chatting with a new friend, and all of a sudden, Kageyama loomed behind him, panicked and silent, like he had just witnessed a ghost. He hadn’t even responded after Hinata tried to get his attention. It was freaky. 

Kageyama leaned back, letting go of Hinata’s hand, the cold and hard porcelain digging into his shoulder blades. He tried to not think about how gross this bathroom was. He stared Hinata in the eyes. He felt so guilty, he could see how worried Hinata was. But at the same time, a tinge of happiness swept through him, thankful that he was concerned. “I had to come to see you,” Kageyama muttered, his breath still not back quite yet.

Hinata was silent. He was quite sure what to say now. He was so worried for Kageyama, he hadn’t seen him this frazzled before. Not that he had known the guy for a long time, but even still. There was a difference between annoyed or angry, and whatever this was. He thought for a minute before replying. “Well, you surprised me. You look like you saw a ghost. Are you really ok? What’s going on?” He continued to press on, unable to stop questioning him. He felt terrible, he seemed so overwhelmed already, his interrogation probably wasn’t helping.

Kageyama closed his eyes, still resting back on the toilet seat. “Your friend told me some guy was going to be here tonight, and I needed to come to get you.” Kageyama was getting his breath back finally. He continued to lay back, and he listened to the vague thumping of the bass above them, the ceiling squeaking as people milled around. 

“What?” Hinata shot out quickly. He stopped for a second, regaining his composure. “Who told you that?” He needed to know. It wasn’t like Hinata was going to be married to this guy. Can’t he have a damn conversation without it being everyone’s business?

“Uhm,” Kageyama paused as he thought. “The bald one. Or the shaved one. Or whatever. And then I got here, and the threatened to punch me, and I don’t know what’s happening anymore…” Kageyama spilled out, his words dense in his mouth, he still found it hard to even think, never the less form a coherent sentence. 

There was another silence again. But it felt more… uncomfortable this time. Kageyama opened his eyes and leaned forward to see Hinata turned, faced towards the door. He couldn’t see him clearly, but from his side profile, he looked pretty upset. Kageyama froze for a second. What should he do? Nothing? He wasn’t quite sure at the moment.

Nothing happened for a few seconds. No one moved, no one spoke. Hell, it even felt as if they weren’t breathing. It was still in the bathroom, the only signs that time was still moving was the soft noise from upstairs that leaked through the ceiling. Kageyama stood up slowly, moving towards Hinata, which wasn’t far, to begin with, trying to hug him to be met with a turned body and an elbow to the stomach. Kageyama took the blow silently, trying to recover from that quickly. 

“Hinata…” Kageyama said breathlessly, going in to hug him again met with no resistance, his chin resting on Hinatas head as he wrapped him in a hug. He was warm in Kageyama’s grasp, his body tensed. They stood like that for god knows how long. Kageyama wasn’t counting. He somewhat savored this feeling, even if it was bittersweet. He could feel the anger radiating from Hinata’s frame, his light quivering as he continued to stay silent.

Kageyama moved his head from atop its perch on Hinatas head, down to his right shoulder, rotating to get a better look of his face. His heart sunk instantly as he bore witness to a red, angry, tear-streaked face. Hinata failed to blink, the tears rolling anyways. Breath hitched in his throat, Kageyama hugged harder instinctually. “I’m so sorry… I’m so fucking sorry…” Kageyama whispered hoarsely at the other, as they stayed locked in the position.

“Why would he do that?” Hinata croaked out, his voice was soft but full of anger. Kageyama watched wordlessly, not sure what to say. “I can’t believe he would do that. Why?” Kageyama remained silent still. He had no idea. He didn’t have the answer. “Why are you here, then?” Hinata finally muttered, his voice becoming more robust, soberer.

Kageyama squeezed a little tighter. “Well…” He started to stall. He wanted to choose his words wisely. This wasn’t knowing what to say. He could write a paragraph. Hell, even a novel on what he wanted to say. He had more words right now than he knew how to answer. “I hate the idea of any other guy wanting you,” Kageyama admitted. “I really hate the idea of someone touching you, or laughing with you, when that could be me. It should be me. And I needed to come here to tell you that.” 

He felt Hinatas shoulders loosen slightly in his wrap. A hand slowly came up to grip onto Kageyama’s forearm that stayed wrapped around Hinatas shoulders. “Really?” Hinata coaxed softly. Heart beating a million miles per minute, Kageyama nodded. He wondered if Hinata could feel it. Because he could feel Hinata's. 

“Yeah. Really.” Kageyama said bluntly, stopping for a moment again, before continuing. “I really like you. Thanks for waiting for me to decide. I appreciate it.” Kageyama whispered softly before nuzzling his nose into the crook of Hinata’s neck. 

They stood like that again, the mood of the room shifted, warm and fuzzy. Kageyama smiled, noticing that Hinata had grown still, no longer shaking below him. He planted a small kiss on the side of Hinata’s neck, small and soft, trying to show that he was sorry, and that he genuinely felt sorry, and that he wanted to comfort him. At least that was his reasoning. 

Hinata sighed, leaning back into Kageyama’s arms as he continued to kiss up and down his neck. He was still upset about the whole Tanaka thing, but that could wait. He was going to just let himself forget about that now. He finally got Kageyama to confess how he felt, and he was being kissed. This was a warm and fuzzy moment, and he wasn’t going to let it slip out of his fingers, god damn it. 

He turned around, locking lips with Kageyama, feeling a smile crack on his face as they kissed passionately. His face still felt hot and stiff from his crying session, the trails of his tears had dried onto his face. He felt the salty taste of tears mixed in between their lips, wondering why he seemed to enjoy the flavor so much. 

He heard the jiggle of a door handle and went to pull away quickly, only to be met with a hand holding his chin in place before he listened to the slide of a lock. Hinata felt his face flush as he realized Kageyama had locked the door. Was that good or bad? He didn’t have the time to contemplate, as Kageyama moved his hand to Hinatas hip as he backed him up against the wall of the bathroom, deepening the kiss, the warm taste of their lips mingling in the dim light. 

Hinata laughed lightly, before running his tongue deviously across Kageyama’s lip, hoping to get a rise out of the other. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised as Kageyama opened his mouth, letting Hinata slip his tongue in, running it slowly over his teeth and tongue, savoring the sensation as he felt Kageyama’s hand run slowly up his torso, before one settled on his jawline, and the other squarely on his ass. Jumping slightly, Hinata broke the kiss.

“Wait,” He uttered breathlessly. “I am not doing this in a frat house bathroom.” He chuckled softly as Kageyama blushed, removing his hands quickly. “Plus, who said you were the top?” Hinata jeered, walking closer, before pulling Kageyama down by the collar, giving him another deep kiss before breaking away again. 

“I wasn’t trying to do that… Here…” Kageyama muttered, embarrassed to even be talking about something like that here. Hinata nodded with enough sarcasm that even Kageyama understood. “Also!” Kageyama piped up quickly, “Why wouldn’t I be? Do I look like a bottom dumbass?” He leaned against the door of the bathroom, folding his arms across his chest in a huff. 

“What? You sure do act like one.” Hinata continued to tease, pawing at Kageyama lightly. “Don’t assume I’m a bottom just because I’m short shithead.” He continued to laugh lightly as he kissed Kageyama, biting his lip softly. 

“Wait, no seriously,” Kageyama pressed on. “I don’t think I can bottom. It would be weird. I want to be on top.” He argued hesitantly, pondering what it would be like if he was on the bottom. He shivered slightly. 

“I don’t know what to say. I like to be on top too…” Hinata said awkwardly. They stood for a few moments, staring each other down. “Well, whatever. We can decide when that happens, right?” Hinata pointed out. He wasn’t wholly hesitant to be on the bottom but still. Kageyama sure was funny, and arguing about him with such embarrassing topics sure put blush on his face that was priceless. 

Kageyama shrugged, standing there for a second before wrapping his arms around Hinata, pulling him in for another close hug. He buried his head in Hinatas hair, closing his eyes as he felt Hinata’s arms wrap around his torso. This party sure was stupid. He just wanted to stay in this bathroom forever if he wanted to be honest. 

“To be honest, Hinata, I came here expecting to have a fistfight with whatever guy you were talking to…” Kageyama laughed lightly as they stayed wrapped in a hug against the bathroom door. It felt silly to admit now. He was just so angry at first that it was the only thing he could fathom. Turns out that he really isn’t great at confrontation. 

Hinata laughed. “Uh, please don’t. Kenma is a really nice guy.” His voice was slightly muffled by the heavy sweater Kageyama had on, his cheeks squished against Kageyama’s chest. “If it makes you feel better, I like you. I just want to be his friend, to be honest.” Kageyama sighed heavily. He felt so relieved to hear that. 

“God, that makes me really happy to hear. You’re mine now, you know?” Kageyama squished him even tighter, a wheeze escaping Hinata as he slapped Kageyama. 

“Let go! Let Go!” Hinata rasped panicked, trying to loosen from Kageyama’s deathly hug. Relaxing from his squeeze, Kageyama and Hinata laughed for a moment, staying leaned against the door as a knock reverberated through it.

“Hey you guys have been in there for like 15 minutes, I gotta piss! Go fuck somewhere else!” They laughed loudly as they untangled themselves from each other, before unlocking the door to rush out quickly, apologizing as a very grumpy and very drunk man stumbled inside. 

Hinata waved across the room at Kenma before stumbling over quickly. “It was really nice to meet you, Kenma! We should hang out sometime!” Kenma nodded for a second before smiling lightly. He tapped on his phone for a second before handing it to Hinata. 

“Here’s my snap… Thanks.” Kenma said as Hinata quickly added him. He passed the phone back and gave another wave before walking up to Kageyama, grabbing his belt loop and pulling him upstairs rapidly. 

“Yeah, Let’s go!” Hinata yelled over the music, growing ever louder on the stairs, “I gotta talk to Tanaka now.” He pressed on quickly, causing Kageyama to groan. Oh no, this was going to be a mess, wasn’t it? He supposed Tanaka being in trouble wasn’t his fault; he managed to patch it up with Hinata without fucking it up. Nothing he needed to worry about now, right?

Hinata dragged Kageyama around for a while, trying to hunt down Tanaka. He knew that he couldn’t have left already, it wasn’t even midnight yet. So far, he had checked the living room, kitchen, and all the bathrooms. It wasn’t easy either, he realized that if he needed to put up with drunk people, he needed to be drunk. He was about ready to pop the next idiot in the face that bumped into him.

Quickly scaling the stairs to the second floor, Hinata scanned, looking for that idiot. He really needed to have a word with him. How did he manage to evade him so well? Was he hiding now that he knew Hinata probably was up to speed with the situation? And then Hinata spotted him out of the corner of his eye. A loud yell of frustration escaped his mouth, and he sped over to Tanaka in a flash, who seemed deep into a conversation with some chick.

“Excuse me!” Hinata yelled as he yanked Tanaka towards him, sending the contents of his cup flying on the ground. Coming eye level with him, Hinata scowled, seeing how screwed Tanaka felt at that moment. He should frankly, after what he pulled. Tightening his grip, he violently dragged him wordlessly away, down the stairs, through the crowd, and into the backyard, Kageyama slowly trailing behind them, watching the scene unfold.

Letting go of his grip finally, Hinata took a few steps back. “What the hell?” Tanaka yelled, the cold air puffing around them as he breathed. Hinata rolled his eyes. What does he even have to b angry about?

“Nah, I’m not doing this.” Hinata scoffed angrily. “Look, what the hell did you think you were doing? Did you seriously harass Kageyama?” Pointing behind him to the taller boy, who watched quietly, leaning against the glass sliding door. 

“Don’t ask me that you knew what I was doing!” Tanaka argued back, “I was trying to make it clear to that numbskull that he can’t treat you like that!” 

“That isn’t the way you should have done it! You threaten to beat him up? And on top of that, I just,“ Hinata pinched the bridge of his nose, huffing quietly. “You’re not my mom! Leave my love life alone!” He couldn’t believe he would go behind his back like that.

“I needed to do something! You talked about the situation like you were pissed. I couldn’t just watch!” Tanaka continued to argue, sitting on the damp grass of the backyard.

“Well, I don’t even understand. Why would you tell him I came here to meet some guy?” Hinata quipped. There was no way Tanaka expected him to not get mad in this situation, right? This totally crossed all the lines. Sure, they were friends, but there were things you just don’t do. He would have never done something like this.

“To make him jealous enough to show up?” Tanaka stated indifferently. He rolled his eyes like it was the dumbest question that he’d ever been asked. That really pissed Hinata off. It wasn’t like he’d been in on the plan or anything. 

“You crossed the fucking line! You can’t just interfere in my life like that! Do you understand why I would be upset? Because I am. I’m really shocked you’d do this.” Hinata rambled on, throwing his hands in the air.

“Hey, Hinata…” Kageyama piped up quietly. “Look, he was just trying to help… Calm down.” He stayed leaned against the wall as Hinata shot a look at him. Should he have not said that? Ah, there he goes again, messing things up. He sighed as they continued to bicker.

“Anyways, you need to apologize. That was messed up. You need to realize that you invaded my private life when you did that.” Hinata insisted, staring down at Tanaka.

Tanaka shifted uncomfortably, staring at his shoes. “Dude… I’m sorry.” He shrugged and started to fidget slightly as he continued. “It’s just that you were so upset, I can tell you know? You’re my bud. So I was just so pissed at him. Looking at his dumb face pisses me off still!” Tanaka gestured over to Kageyama. That was rude, Kageyama thought, as he squinted, sticking his tongue out. “So, I wanted to let him know not to mess with you.”

Hinata listened silent, not answering. That wasn’t even an apology. Why does no one know what an apology is? “It was wrong of me. I see that now… I’m really sorry, Hinata. I promise I won’t do it again.” Tanaka spits out, the words sounding heavy with guilt. Looking down, Hinata smiled.

“Thank you, Tanaka.” Hinata walked up and slapped the top of his head. “You’re lucky this turned out well, or I’d be a lot angrier. Don’t ever pull anything like that again. Seriously.” Hinata repeated his words tinged with a seething anger at the tail end of the sentence. Nodding, Tanaka stood up, ruffling Hinata’s hair. 

“I can still do that, right?” Tanaka jeered at Hinata, slapped at his face, laughing and dodging each other’s hits. Kageyama felt relieved. He was glad he wasn’t the reason they weren’t going to be friends anymore. Hinata and Tanaka jogged up to the sliding door, still messing around. “Let’s go inside! Get you guys a celebratory shot?” Tanaka suggested as he opened the door, the noise pouring out.

Laughing, Hinata walked in, dragging Kageyama behind him. “Maybe for me, but Kageyama isn’t much of a party animal!” He exclaimed as they dove into the crowd of people. Kageyama didn’t know if he should take that as a compliment or not, but instead, he just smiled, following behind. He didn’t need to celebrate, he already had what he wanted at the end of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was where I was planning this would end up! I was thinking I'd end it here but I was thinking I'd write a few chapters wrapping up the story with some hijinks with all the characters? Let me know if you'd guys would be interested in something like that! :)


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